The secret to a long, healthy life? 3 Masters legends had very different answers

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Gary Player didn’t hear the reporter’s question, so Tom Watson filled him in. Why are you so young?

“Well, I’ll tell you, that’s an interesting question because…” The room laughed. Everyone knew Player, long known for his fascination with fitness, was excited to answer this one.

“First of all, I love life, and I love people and I love my job and I’m extremely happy,” said Player, after he, Watson and Jack Nicklaus hit the ceremonial opening tee shots at the 2024 Masters on Thursday. “And I went to India and there was a gerontologist I spoke to, and he gave me I think the secret to longevity.”

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Here, Player went off on a little tangent, talking about cryotherapy and how with the help of modern medicine and such that someone on Earth right now will eventually live to be 140 or 150 years old.

But anyway, back to that gerontologist.

“He gave me 10 things to work on which I do and I adhere to every day of my life,” Player continued. “And so far, so good. I’m very fit, I still push 300 pounds with my legs. I run the treadmill at max, I read a lot, I laugh a lot, and I have love in my heart — that is very, very important. I have an ice cold bath every morning of my life. … So I adhere to 10 things every day, and the most important thing, to live a long time, is under-eat. The gym is important, but only a quarter as important as under-eating.”

Watson chimed in next. The question was actually how to stay in good shape as you age, but all three answered as if they were speaking about the keys to longevity, or a happy, fulfilling life.

“I think you surround yourself with people you love, and you eat responsibly,” Watson said. “You do things in life for other people, and you try to have fun, and like Gary said, you’ve got to laugh.”

Nicklaus was last to answer. He kept his answer brief.

“Well, I’ve got five kids, 24 grandkids, and seven great-grandkids,” he said. “They keep you young.”

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.

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