Phil Mickelson’s bid to clinch golf’s career grand slam will be one of the major stories at this week’s 115th US Open at Chambers Bay, in Washington.
Mickelson has finished a frustrated runner-up a record six times in his national open and, at age 44, is bidding to become the sixth player of the modern era to win all four majors.
One man who would be thrilled to see Mickelson win at Chambers Bay is Gary Player, who will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of his own grand slam-sealing US Open championship victory at the year’s second major.
The nine-time major winner, who went on to repeat the grand slam feat on the seniors’ tour, talks about his 18-hole play-off victory over Kel Nagel at Bellerive Country Club in Missouri in 1965 at age 29. The South African also shares his thoughts on the likely winner of this week’s US Open and his love for Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, a course that he designed.
This year’s US Open at Chambers Bay marks the 50th anniversary of your career grand slam. Can you take us back to Bellerive Country Club and share some of your memories of that week?
That week in Missouri was sweltering. It had long been on my mind to win the US Open, and I came to Bellerive with three major wins. Jack Nicklaus invited me to practice with him the entire week before. I told him I couldn’t because I needed the money from another tournament the week before in Greensboro, North Carolina, but he persisted and played a part in my winning the grand slam before he did.
Like always, I did my homework. The great Ben Hogan was a master of preparation and always arrived a week early to get used to the local conditions. That played a big role because Bellerive was a massive course, well over 7,000 yards, which in those days was considered very long. In fact, I believe it was the longest US Open venue to date at that point.
I remember going each day to the local YMCA to work out. I was in the best physical shape of my life, but everyone thought I was a nut. Fitness was seen as a way to destroy one’s swing, not improve it. My, how things have changed since then. I also wore the same black shirt every day, and washed it myself every night and hung it over the shower rail to dry. A silly superstition perhaps, but it gave me a certain level of mental karma.
My favourite part of the week was when I made that final putt to win the US Open and become a grand slam champion. When Joe Dey, president of the USGA, handed me the winner’s cheque, I was able to fulfil a promise I made a few years before. I had told him that if I ever won the US Open, I would donate my prize money to two causes: the development of junior golf and cancer research.
You held a three-stroke lead over Kel Nagle heading into the final round but finished tied on two-over-par 282, forcing a Monday play-off, where you triumphed 71 to Nagle's 74. What do you remember of the play-off?
I started the tournament well by shooting a 70, and found myself two shots off Kel’s lead. My 70 the next day left me with a one-stroke lead, and a 71 in the third round kept me in front. I had a three-shot lead with three to play, but my lead vanished after Nagle’s birdie on 17 that set up an 18-hole play-off on Monday.
What I remember best was that I putted superbly in that play-off. Most of the time it is the man with the great putting stroke that becomes a champion. I was up five shots through the first eight holes. I never looked back, and I won the play-off by a comfortable margin.
You became the first foreign-born winner of the US Open in 38 years and just the third player, after Gene Sarazen and Hogan, to achieve the career Grand Slam. With the hindsight of 50 years, what does the achievement mean to you?
Winning the career grand slam is my finest achievement in professional golf. I was the first non-American to accomplish the feat and 50 years later I remain the only one to do so. It was even more special because I was the first of the “Big Three” to reach this milestone. Jack was always a great sport about it, gentleman and friend that he is. From a young age, when I first turned professional, winning the grand slam was something I always wanted to achieve. I always worked extremely hard toward my goals but it was hard to imagine the feeling this accomplishment would bring. It was a surreal moment in my life, and I was honoured and grateful to have achieved it. There are so many great golfers that will never know what it feels like to win the grand slam, so I am thankful every day that God loaned me the talent to become a champion.
Who is your pick for this year's US Open this week and does the links-like Chambers Bay heighten the chances of the big European hopes?
There is so much talent on the Tour today. Many of the players have a fantastic shot. The champion may come from any country, even if the links style at Chambers Bay certainly is an advantage for the European players and all other players who have had success on that style of golf course. It is hard to pick against Rory McIlroy because he has so much talent, and is playing so well. He has had tremendous success the past few majors. Phil Mickelson has finished second at the US Open six times. I would like to see him finally break through and win the career grand slam.
Golf seems to be in great heart with so many young, fit players atop today’s leaderboards. As a fit-for-life advocate, are you impressed at how physically fit players are on tour now?
People used to think I was a nut the way I would work out during a tournament. Everyone said weight training would ruin my golf swing and shorten my career. I believed that fitness would give me an advantage, and it did. Being fit helps the mind, which is so important in golf. That is what gave me the advantage over Kel Nagle. I was 29 and in peak physical condition. He was 40. Being in top shape was my edge. If you don’t have to worry about getting tired on the back nine on Sunday and, in that case, a Monday play-off, then you remove a distraction. Today, fitness is becoming more and more a part of the game. The PGA Tour has a travelling gym with state-of-the-art equipment for players. I had to go to the local YMCA and train with rubber bands. Rory McIlroy certainly looks like he has been taking his fitness regimen very seriously. He is clearly dedicated to staying in shape. The top players in the world all seem to be taking fitness and diet seriously and I am happy to see it. It is here to stay.
It seems that golf has become a young man's game. But will we ever see a super-fit 50-plus player win a major? Who might the ground-breaker be?
Golf is a game you can play until you can’t get out of bed in the morning. It will be interesting to see in the next 10, 20 or 30 years, with all the training players do, if the longevity of PGA or European tour players is increased well into their 50s. I expect to see a super-fit 50-year-old player win a major before I am gone. I don’t think it would surprise anyone if a 50-year-old Tiger Woods won a major. That’s only 10 years away. If he is at full health and strength at that age, watch out.
Where do you see amateur golf, given all the well-documented challenges facing the game, in another 50 years?
First, let me address professional golf, as I think in some ways it drives participation at the amateur level. I am not concerned about professional golf, as it has been thriving, even through recent economic challenges. New and exciting players are always in line to replace those who are ageing … history shows that Sam Snead, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan replaced the likes of Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones. Then Jack, Arnold [Palmer] and I came along. We were followed by a very charismatic European contingent in Seve [Ballesteros], Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam, and Nick Faldo. Then the game hit new heights with the Tiger Woods/Phil Mickelson era, and now we have incredibly popular young players in Rory, Rickie [Fowler] and Jordan Spieth. The health of the professional game will always drive amateur participation to a degree, but we have to do more. We have to continue to develop junior programmes around the world. We have to design courses that are fun to play, not overwhelmingly difficult. We have a project near Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri where we are designing a 12-hole course that will be family orientated. We’ll even have multiple holes cut in the greens, some bigger to make it easier and more fun. Finally, we have only seen the tip of the iceberg for amateur golf in places like China. As the middle class grows there, the sky is the limit.
The Middle East has become the epicentre of the European Tour and now also hosts the Asian Tour’s end-of-season finale. You must be impressed with how the game is developing in the region. Where do you see it improving further?
I see two important developments in the Middle East: first, the coverage of the European and Asian tour season-ending events will most certainly raise interest in the game among locals. It is great seeing Emiratis and other Middle Easterners out there playing and enjoying the game. Second, the region is deliberately working towards becoming a golf destination. I can assure you, for example, that a group going to Abu Dhabi to play Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Yas Links will have a world-class experience.
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. You must be proud of your Abu Dhabi creation?
Saadiyat was one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever worked on as a designer. The whole of Saadiyat Island is an enormous undertaking, and being a part of this project makes me feel that we are part of a ground-breaking development. And yes, the golf course itself has gone from strength to strength. It has continually won some terrific awards since its opening. The island provides an incredible setting, and Troon is doing a fine job taking care of it.
If you had the power to change one thing for the betterment of the game, what would it be?
The most important issue facing golf today is the distance the golf ball can travel. If something is not done to limit the advancement in the design of the golf ball, we will potentially see the golf holes grow to more than 600 yards. Why lengthen golf holes at all? Control the distance. Equipment companies like Callaway have done a fantastic job growing the game from an amateur level. They have made the game fun for young golfers. But the cost of changing the mould of a golf ball is insignificant compared to the architectural and construction costs of changing golf courses all over the world to keep up with this craving for extra distance. I don’t believe it is because athletes on the tour are so much stronger than before. Nicklaus, Palmer and Snead were huge — it has everything to do with the ball and equipment.
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is celebrating Gary Player’s milestone with a special Gary Player Grand Slam 50 for 50 Rewind promotion. Visit www.sbgolfclub.ae for full details.