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As he sized up a 25-foot putt last Saturday, La Salle University freshman Kevin Lydon knew exactly what was on the line: a stupidly low round.

His eagle try on the 18th green at Shuttle Meadow Country Club, in Connecticut, in the first round of the Ryan T. Lee Memorial was for 60, a number recorded only a handful of times at the collegiate level.

Lydon, playing in his first-ever college round, did his best not to think about it.

“I like to stay in the present on a golf course and not think about the past or future, because that’s when you start playing bad golf,” Lydon told GOLF.com. “So you stay in the present and focus on one shot at a time and that’s how you do your best.”

The putt came up just short, stopping a few heartbreaking inches in front of the hole. Dead center.

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But Lydon still may have made history with his 10-under-par 61, La Salle head coach Scott Yurgalevicz quickly realized.

“[We] reached out to the NCAA and they told us to take a look at Golfstat,” Yurgalevicz said of the ratings and rankings database that serves as the official scorer for all NCAA Championships. “They have millions of rounds — it’s really hard to determine if a round of 61 or even lower than that 60 was ever shot by a freshman.

“We know that no freshman ever shot lower than 61. So we can at least confirm we have one 61. And it’s Kevin Lydon’s.”

Lydon’s opening round also is believed to be the lowest round ever shot by a player in their first collegiate round, Yurgalevicz said. The mark also shattered La Salle’s scoring record of 65.

It’s hard for any coach to see a 61 coming — especially from a player at a small, private university outside of Philadelphia — but Yurgalevicz said he knew Lydon was in a good spot with his game coming into his first college season.

Lydon, who is from Doylestown, Pa., notched a strong finish at the Philadelphia Amateur over the summer, defeating a couple other college players from the Philadelphia area before losing in the quarterfinals.

“That’s when I think he decided he belonged at this level,” Yurgalevicz said. “He knew he could play and you could kind of see there was a difference in how he operated on the golf course. He knew he belonged.”

Yurgalevicz does not have an assistant coach, so at the Lee Memorial he was flying solo trying to ensure each of his five players had what they needed during the round. Yurgalevicz didn’t know the heater Lydon was on Saturday until midway through the day.

“I saw Kev make the turn,” Yurgalevicz said. “He gives me the indicator that he’s, like, five under. I actually thought initially when he told me he was five over.”

When Yurgalevicz realized Lydon was actually five under, Yurgalevicz said he thought to himself, “He’s doing a great job. He’s managing himself at his first-ever college event. And I get up to talk to him for a minute, make sure he’s good, doesn’t need anything.'”

The coach didn’t want to meddle.

“When a pitcher’s throwing a no-hitter, you just make sure they’re okay,” he said. “And if they need anything, pat him on the back, give him a water and, you know, just make sure they’re still doing the right thing.

“He just kept hitting the ball right in the middle of the fairway, hitting greens, rolling in 15-footers. It was just a clinic on how to putt 8-footers, 10-footers, 25-footers.”

Yurgalevicz didn’t realize how much red was on Lydon’s scorecard until he overheard another player in the group tell his coach that Lydon’s putt on 18 was for 60.

“He’s just a really quiet kid,” Yurgalevicz said.

The putt to become the 17th male player to shoot 60 in an NCAA event (no player has broken 60) was not to be, but Lydon feels like his round showed his potential.

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“It shows what I’m capable of, which is nice,” he said. “And I feel like it shows being mentally prepared can do a lot for you on a golf course.”

In what might be a shocker to the parents of most 18-year-olds, Lydon actually did some reading to prepare for his first college tournament. He picked up two books written by sports psychologist Bob Rotella: “Putting Out of Your Mind” and “Golf is Not a Game of Perfect.”

“I thought it would help me, and it did,” he said.

Lydon wasn’t able to continue his hot play into Sunday’s second (and final) round. His 76 dropped him from a three-stroke lead to finishing fifth, five strokes behind the winner.

He hasn’t let the finish bother him, though, taking the weekend as a learning experience.

“I think it’s very difficult and it was my first time doing it,” Lydon said. “So now I know what to expect.”

What Lydon couldn’t have expected was the chance encounter he had at his own Philadelphia-area club just a few days later.

On the driving range on Tuesday, Lydon ran into Hall of Famer Gary Player, who was quick to dole out some advice.

“It was a cool experience,” Lydon said. “He talked to me and my teammate Anthony Garcia about how there’s so many other players out there from all over the country that are doing the same thing you’re doing. You just have to do it better if you want to keep going and playing.”

When Lydon told Player about his round over the weekend, he said Player told him that Player actually had never gone that low in a tournament. Player’s best mark came in a duel with Jack Nicklaus when they both shot 62.

Then Player did the unexpected again, especially considering La Salle isn’t exactly a golf powerhouse.

“I got his email, and he wants us to email our school scores this coming season,” Lydon said. “That means a lot.”

Not a bad way to start your freshman year.

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Gary Player took to social media on Monday to call out his son, Marc Player, for putting some of the nine-time major champ’s personal trophies and memorabilia up for auction without his consent. A day later, Marc Player fired back, calling his dad’s ownership claim of the items baseless.

The original statement came from Gary Player’s Twitter and Instagram, with the text: “A statement on the unauthorized sale of Gary Player trophies & memorabilia.”

“I would like to draw the public’s attention to the fact that several trophies and other pieces of memorabilia that form part of my legacy have been put up for auction by my son and ex-manager, Marc,” the statement read. “These items belong to me and I have taken action to recover them. I have placed no items for sale — whether by auction or otherwise.”

James Throssell, who serves as the brand and legal counsel for Gary Player, told Golf Digest that the items put up for auction were things such as gear Gary Player won tournaments with, sponsor gifts and trophies won, adding that Marc Player was entrusted with these items while he served as Gary Player’s manager “with the belief they would be taken care of with Mr. Player’s best interest at heart.”

Throssell said the auction house took down the items and is holding them pending a resolution.

Marc Player managed his father’s businesses for over two decades and started the Gary Player Group, but in 2020 Gary Player was awarded $5 million and rights to his name and likeness after a settlement with Marc.

A statement released by his legal team on Tuesday and shared several times on social media defended Marc Player of his dad’s accusations, saying several years ago he cataloged almost 300 items with Christie’s London, an online auction and private sales business.

“The entire Christie’s Gary Player Collection was subsequently sold to South African billionaire, Johann Rupert, when Marc Player’s father could not pay his outstanding personal tax bill of millions due to the South African Revenue Services,” the statement read.

The statement also alleges there was an agreement between Gary and Marc Player to split the proceeds if Christie’s Gary Player Collection was ever sold and that Marc has not received any compensation.

“All other trophies or memorabilia were validly gifted to Marc Player by his parents, remain his, and Marc has been in full possession of these items for decades without any claim by his father, Gary’s management, the family, or Gary’s advisors,” the statement said. “You cannot take back what no longer belongs to you.”

Another one of Player’s sons, Wayne Player, was arrested over an incident involving a house rental at the 2018 Masters. More recently Wayne Player created a controversy at the 2021 Masters when he noticeably displayed a sleeve of OnCore golf balls while serving as his dad’s caddie during the Masters honorary starter ceremony. He was removed from the grounds and banned from the tournament.

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Welcome to Play Smart, a game-improvement column that drops every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Game Improvement Editor Luke Kerr-Dineen (who you can follow on Twitter right here).

Golf is a game that’s played over a lifetime — which means the journey to keep improving never actually stops. In that vein, for today’s Play Smart, we’ll be looking at a few evidence-based things golfers can do to make sure their games age gracefully.

1. Eat less than you used to…

Your metabolism slows as you get older, which means your eating habits may stay exactly the same, but you’re more likely to gain weight anyway. Gary Player, who in many ways kicked off the fitness revolution in golf, says he has adopted a diet of eating “half as much as he used to,” and says that monitoring your diet ticks up in importance as golfers age:

“I now put eating at 60 percent because as you get older, you put on weight, and weight stops a train,” Player says. “When you get heavier and try to swing with the same force you did as a young person, which you can’t do but you’re trying to do it, that’s a quick way to get an injury.”

2. …but incorporate more protein

Golfers also tend to lose more muscle mass as they age. Staving off those effects means strength training and replenishing those muscles with more protein. It’s something that often goes overlooked — a recent study suggests that seniors aren’t eating enough protein — so while your diet may need adjusting as you age, a healthy one for older golfers should probably skew more towards protein.

3. Stretch more (especially your hips)

Golfers’ flexibility will often wane as they get older, and if you’re sitting at a desk all day, your hip mobility will be one of the most drastically-affected areas of your body. Maintaining mobility in your hips requires an active routine of stretching, which will allow for more rotation in your hips for a more powerful turn.

4. Longer, lower-heart rate activities

While there are certainly benefits to getting your heart pumping (we’ll get to one of those shortly), there’s also evidence that some of the best training golfers can do as they age resides in “zone 2” level training. This, in a nutshell, is longer, slower exercises, where your heart rate is running at a slightly elevated but consistent level. Walking the golf course is a great example of this kind of activity, and it can all amount to some genuine health benefits. 

5. Speed train

Your distance will likely wane as you get older — but it doesn’t need to! You’re never too old to speed train, and it can go a long way in helping you hit the ball further, for longer. It doesn’t need to be difficult, either. You can invest in a launch monitor and devote an hour a week of swinging all-out, not worrying about direction. Or you can adopt an official training system. There are lots of good options out there, but whatever you choose, you’ll come out the other end swinging faster.

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Gary Player leaned on his golf bag and kicked backward with his right leg, then his left. He stood up and kicked forward. He was on the range at The Woodlands, ahead of a Greats of Golf event, and this was part of his warm-up. 

“Gary, I think about you when I’m working out,” a man said in the background.

“Good for you,” Player said, “You know, you kept nice and thin.”

Talk to Player about fitness, and he’ll give your ear a workout. Talk to him about diet, and he’ll give you a mouthful. Google “Gary Player” and “fitness,” and you should pack a snack; it’ll be a while. The 86-year-old nine-time major champion has taken pride in being in good condition, and he is happy to share.

“If you look at what’s happening with the coronavirus, which is a terrible, terrible thing, it’s more important than ever that we take care of our health,” Player told GOLF’s Luke Kerr-Dineen in September of 2020. “I still push 350 pounds with my legs, I do hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of sit-ups, I run on the treadmill at 85 (years old) at ‘max’, so my body is really 50 years of age.”

Later in 2020, at the November Masters, Player also told Kerr-Dineen about his 60/40 rule: Healthy living is 60 percent what you eat, and 40 percent how you exercise.

“I now put eating at 60 percent because as you get older, you put on weight, and weight stops a train,” Player said. “When you get heavier and try to swing with the same force you did as a young person, which you can’t do but you’re trying to do it, that’s a quick way to get an injury.”

Fitness

With all that in mind, Player dished on another tip, as he talked to the bystander at the Greats of Golf event. The exchange was captured by the PGA Tour Champions and shared on their social media accounts. 

“Well, if you want to live a long time, you got to stay thin,” Player said. “You won’t live a long time if you get fat, I’ll tell you.”

The man made a comment, and Player responded.  

“Good for you. Good for you,” he said. “Two meals a day, that’s all you need. You don’t need three meals a day. No, no, no, no. Breakfast and lunch. Lay off the dinner. 

“You don’t put gas in your car when you park it in the garage at night.”

Of course, like the golf swing, what works for one person, may not work for another. 

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The post ‘He would have won 20 majors’: How Gary Player would have fixed Tiger Woods appeared first on Golf.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Fifteen majors? Tiger Woods could have won five more, surpassed Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 and sat at 20, Gary Player says.

All Woods had to adjust, the nine-time major winner said, was to have told others to stop adjusting him. 

“You’ve got to be very careful the teacher you go to,” Player said Thursday after hitting his honorary tee shot to open the Masters. “We saw that with Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods, if he never had lessons — in my humble opinion, if he never had lessons, he would have won 20 majors minimum, but after winning the U.S. Open by 15 shots, he’s having a lesson the next week and he doesn’t win a major. Not to denigrate the man who taught him, but he changed his whole swing. Why? When he’s winning every week almost and one out of every four tournaments, he goes and changes his swing and he doesn’t win a major for 11 years.

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“So the young people today, my advice is whichever country we’re talking about when you have lessons, go to somebody who’s been in the arena that knows what the hell he’s talking about.”

Over his 46 years, Woods has been instructed by six known coaches. Rudy Duran, then an assistant pro at Heartwell Golf Course was the first, working with him starting in 1980, and his second childhood instructor was John Anselmo, who started teaching Woods when he was 10. 

From there, Woods’ coaches have been Butch Harmon, who guided him from 1993 to 2002; Hank Haney, 2004-’10; Sean Foley, 2010-’14; and Chris Como, 2014-’17. And Woods’ major scoreboard reads this way: 1997 Masters; 1999 PGA Championship; 2000 U.S. Open, where, as Player mentioned, Woods won by 15 shots at Pebble Beach; 2000 Open Championship; 2000 PGA Championship; 2001 Masters; 2002 Masters; 2002 U.S. Open; 2005 Masters; 2005 Open Championship; 2006 Open Championship; 2006 PGA Championship; 2007 PGA Championship; 2008 U.S. Open; and 2019 Masters. 

Of course, Woods’ major tally has also been influenced by injuries that have forced him to miss play. Still, Thursday was not the first time Player has said Woods would have been better without various coaches, saying as much on In Depth With Graham Bensinger in 2017.

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“Tiger Woods, once he won the U.S. Open by 15 shots, if Tiger Woods never had a lesson from another pro in his life — I’m not condemning the pros because the pros were pretty intelligent; Hank Haney, and other teaches that he has had, they’re pretty good — but Tiger was so good, he was so much better than anybody that plays today, he was so much better on the way that anybody ever lived,” Player said during the interview. “He could never hit the ball like Ben Hogan, not even close. But that’s not what counts; it’s scoring; I’m talking about scoring, winning. 

“Tiger Woods, if he never had another lesson, just left what he had, he would have won 20, 22, 24 majors. But he’s also been unlucky — knee operations, back operations and a few other problems.”

On Thursday, Player’s comment was in response to a question of what being an honorary starter means. This was his complete response. 

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“Well, you’re honored,” Player answered. “You’re honored to be in that position to be able to do it and to try to be able to contribute to the society, to contribute to that country, to try and get young people interested. That’s why, when I played, I played in the pro-am. I requested to play in the pro-am. I wanted to meet some of the young pros and see how they play. And I played with the one young man, he was outstanding. They were all very good. They all play very well. The youth of today have got a wonderful opportunity.

“I was on the practice tee this morning with Peter Cowen, and he came up and he said, when I was a young man, my 7-iron — well, my 5-iron was 30 degrees loft. Now a 7-iron is 30 degrees loft. When you got a driver when we were younger, they came and said, here’s your wooden driver, and your driver, that’s what you used, it didn’t matter whether it was flat or open or shut. Now they fly a man in, tries shafts for you right there, alters the lie, alters the loft, et cetera, et cetera.

“Technology is moving so fast, and that applies to Indian golf and to China’s golf and other countries that haven’t won majors, and they will win majors in the future. As long as we can have good teaching, because never in the history of golf have there been at least 10 major champions that can’t play golf anymore. Never happened in our time.”

From here, Player began talking about Woods. 

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The post WATCH: Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson hit ceremonial opening tee shots at the Masters appeared first on Golf.

Masters Thursday is officially here.

The pageantry of the early week is behind us, and competition for the green jacket has officially begun. But before the action started, there was one last tradition to observe — the ceremonial opening tee shots.

The ceremonial opening tee shots began in 1963 and have been an annual tradition in the nearly 60 years since. Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod hit the first ceremonial opening tee shots, and other legends of the game such as Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ken Venturi, Arnold Palmer and Lee Elder have taken part since.

This year, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player assumed their annual roles in striking ceremonial opening tee shots, while two-time Masters winner Tom Watson joined them for the first time.

“I would like to say how honored I am to be with Gary and Jack,” Watson said. “I’ve watched his ceremony many times in the past … To be part of this, I’m truly humbled.”

Check out below for videos of all three men sending their tee balls down Augusta National’s 1st fairway.

Jack Nicklaus

Gary Player

Tom Watson

The Masters is officially underway.

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The post ‘I want to hit a good one’: What it’s *really* like to hit a ceremonial opening tee shot at the Masters appeared first on Golf.

Ed. note: Just as Augusta National is the ultimate insiders’ club, the Masters is the ultimate insiders’ tournament. Nearly nine decades after the storied venue was founded, the Augusta Experience has remained shrouded in mystery. To unlock some of its secrets, we asked those who have been part of the experience to describe one element of what makes Augusta Augusta and the Masters the Masters. This first installment of our “What It’s Like…” series was contributed by three-time Masters winner Gary Player.

***

I’ve had the amazing honor, every Thursday morning since 2012, of hitting the ceremonial tee shot at the Masters, and it never gets old. As a matter of fact, I have no doubt that, once again this year, I will feel the same butterflies I’ve always felt. And I’ve been coming to Augusta National since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president!

My favorite part of the day is the walk from the clubhouse to the first tee. I’m so moved by the patrons who come out that early to cheer on me and Jack. I’m getting emotional right now even thinking about it.

People want to slap my hand and I’m happy to accommodate them. I’m so grateful for their support and for the memories I have of this remarkable tournament, win or lose. Each year, I’m more grateful than the year before.

As for the tee shot itself, I take it very seriously. This is my one shot of the whole week, and I want to hit a good one. I will practice for over 30 minutes that morning, much of it in the dark. Finally, after Chairman Ridley calls my name and I acknowledge the applause, I step to the tee and let it rip.

The ball doesn’t go very far, as you’re hitting right into the steep bank on hole No. 1. Normally my drives these days go to about 240 yards. Not bad. I’m 86 years old! And as competitive as ever. I’m proud to say that I now out-drive Jack. I know it irritates him because he’s so competitive, but he hit it way past me in our prime, so I’m glad I can now give him a little of his own medicine.

Of all the honors I’ve had in this game that has been my life, hitting the ceremonial tee shot at the Masters ranks right up there. I can’t see stopping any time soon.

With reporting by Michael Arkush.

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Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player will welcome another longtime friend to the 1st tee at the Masters later this year as Tom Watson has been announced as an honorary starter by Augusta National.

Masters Chairman Fred Ridley made the announcement Tuesday morning in a press release, saying, “I am honored that Tom has accepted our invitation. I look forward to commemorating his love for the game and impact on the Masters with his millions of fans across the globe as he hits a tee shot alongside two of the Tournament’s other all-time greats, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.”

Watson, 72, is a fitting character for the annual duty as he led one of the more impressive, elongated careers in the history of the tournament. Watson’s Masters career spanned 43 years, where he amassed the 5th-best career scoring average (72.74) in tournament history. While his number of green jackets (2) is less than his 1st-tee compadres, both of those wins came in contention alongside Nicklaus and Player.

Nicklaus finished second to Watson in both the 1977 and 1981 Masters, by two strokes each time, which Watson remembers quite well. And when Player famously won in 1978 at the age of 42, it was only after Watson bogeyed the 18th hole to miss out on a chance of defending his title in a playoff.

“Augusta National in April is one of my favorite places to be,” Watson said. “With the many fond memories of both watching the Masters as a youngster and then competing in the Tournament for so many years, I am greatly honored to join my friends and fellow competitors, Jack and Gary, as an Honorary Starter in this upcoming Masters. In both of my victories, Jack was on my heels. And when Gary won his third Tournament in 1978, I was there to help him put on the Green Jacket. Moments like those stand out in my career, and the opportunity to share the Honorary Starter tradition with Jack, Gary and the Masters patrons will be very special.” 

The opening tee shots, which began in 1963, have become an emotion-filled ceremony — whether it’s happiness, sadness, laughter, or some combination of them all. Last year’s iteration was devoted to Lee Elder, the first Black man to compete at the Masters. It was a milestone commemoration for a career devoted to the game and to fighting for human rights. It became even more meaningful in the months since as Elder passed away on Nov. 28. 

The 2022 ceremony will take place on Thursday, April 7.

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The first time Gary Player spoke with Jack Nicklaus was at the 1959 Masters. 

Nicklaus, then a 19-year-old amateur, had just missed the cut.

“No matter who you are, it never hurts to hear some words of encouragement, so that’s what I offered him,” Player recalled recently. “I said, ‘I’ve watched you hit the ball and I have no doubt that you are going to be a great champion.’”

What Player couldn’t have foreseen was how their relationship would evolve.

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In the 60-plus years since, the two legends have competed both on and off the course, building a rivalry in golf and business based on mutual respect.

This week, they established another tie.

In a move meant to strengthen each man’s architectural interests, Nicklaus and Player announced Wednesday that their design firms have formed a “strategic alliance.”

Under the arrangement, Player will enlist the resources of Nicklaus Design to help him launch his reborn Gary Player Design business. (Nicklaus Design is an affiliate of GOLF.com’s parent company, 8AM Golf.) That business has been largely inactive over the past two years, held up by a legal dispute between Player and a company run by one of his sons.

With that dispute now behind him, Player said he was eager to get back to designing and building courses around the world, and that the relationship with Nicklaus Design would be key as his own design company starts afresh.

“When I get a course to do, it will be great to have Jack’s people be part of the design,” Player said. “They’ve had so much experience with top courses around the world.”

In a statement that accompanied the announcement, Nicklaus said that the arrangement meshed with his own goal of providing “the expertise and resources needed to develop and support the people who will design the courses of the future.”

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In this case, Nicklaus added, he and his colleagues were “happy to be in the position to facilitate the next phase of my dear friend Gary’s career.”

With 27 majors and hundreds of professional titles between them, Nicklaus and Player are two of the winningest golfers of all time. But they’ve been even more prolific in golf design. Gary Player Design is credited with more than 135 courses around the world, while Nicklaus Design has created more than 425 courses, in 40 countries and also 40 U.S. states.

While each man has established his own aesthetic, Player said that their design philosophies are “very similar,” with an emphasis on environmental sensitivity and shot-making demands suited to golfers of all levels.

“That’s why I’m so pleased that Jack agreed to this,” Player said. “We’re not partners, as such, but I love designing courses, and now we’ll be able to have the benefit of Jack’s resources and to help bring about my design ideas.”

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OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — This week’s edition of the Aramco Team Series features some of the brightest stars in the game. Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson and Danielle Kang headline the field, while other stars of the women’s game are on site as well. But perhaps the biggest name at Glen Oaks this week is Gary Player.

As an ambassador for Golf Saudi, Player is at the event to support the organization’s initiative promoting women’s golf. And as a part of his ambassador duties, he sat down with the media over lunch Wednesday to talk about the state of the game.

Here are some highlights from our chat with the Black Knight.

1. Thoughts on a rollback

“They’re going to have to do something to curtail the ball. They don’t want to, they’re reluctant to, but they’re going to have to. Otherwise, they’re going to drive the first green at Augusta. Bobby Jones would turn over in his grave if he saw that. They’re hitting wedge into par-5s! Change is the price of survival. For the weekend golfer, leave it as it is. Let them play with what they want and enjoy themselves. But I’m quite concerned about pro golf in that regard. Where are we going?”

2. Golf vs. Tennis

“My wife and I always used to have big debates, which is the tougher sport to win a major — golf or tennis? You play tennis, you’ve got to win seven matches. If [Jack] Nicklaus only had to win seven matches, he’d have over 100 majors. Think about it — they play you against him, same conditions. In golf, you tee off in the morning and it’s raining, shoot 74 and it’s the round of your life. The afternoon, the sun comes out and someone shoots 68 playing just as well. You’ve got 156 guys competing, and no one plays under the same conditions, even if it’s perfect weather. Golf is such a tough game.”

3. Progress in women’s golf

“Isn’t it great after all these years that women’s golf is beginning to be recognized and given a place in the sun that they deserve? … I don’t sit and watch too much golf, but during the Solheim Cup, I watched the whole thing. It was so exciting; as exciting as I’ve ever seen.”

4. 500-yard drives?

“Look at people like LeBron James. He makes people like DeChambeau look like Mickey Mouse. Those kind of guys are going to come out and hit the ball 500 yards. I said on British television to Peter Allis, ‘They’re going to hit the ball 400 yards.’ He said, ‘Gary, you’re talking rubbish.’ He told me that with an audience of millions. Well now I’m saying they’re going to hit it 500 yards.”

5. Bombers

“I always used to say to my wife, ‘No woman will outdrive me!’ Being a little chauvinistic. All of the sudden, I’m older and they’re outdriving me by 50 yards. They can really play. People are so naïve to how good these women are. And now people are beginning to see. They have great swings, and they play lights out.”

6. GOAT debate

“It’s hard to say who’s the best ever in men’s or women’s golf or football or baseball. I had a luncheon with Justin Tuck the football player and he summed it up well. He said, ‘Whatever the difference is, whoever you think is the best ever, the difference is that much. It’s just a fraction.’ You cannot compare eras. We played golf with 100 spike marks on every green. We raked the bunkers with our feet when I started. Now they’ve got machines that make it all the exact same … The greens are like snooker tables. We never played a green like that in our lives!”

7. Weight training

“Golf has changed to such a degree. When I started weight training in 1953, and came to the United States in 1958, I was ridiculed. They said I was a nut! … Today everbody is doing weights. If you don’t do weights today, you will be left behind. Look at [Bryson] DeChambeau — he’s taken golf to another level.”

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