Gary Player has spent seven decades proving that golf is as much about the people watching as the ones playing. At 90, he showed that he hadn’t changed one bit. During Wednesday’s Masters Par 3 Contest at Augusta National, Player spotted a female fan from the tee box on the ninth hole and did something you rarely see at one of sports’ most formal venues.
He waved her inside the ropes. He signed her hat, posed for photos, and then leaned in for a kiss. “I said come here, good-looking chick, too. I gave her a kiss and everything,” Player told Golf Channel afterward. “If you give love, you get love.”
Not only did he wave a female patron inside the ropes on nine, he also picked up a young boy from beyond the gallery later and joked that they would play together when Player was older. The crowd loved every second of it.
As Gary Player prepared to hit his tee shot on the ninth hole during Wednesday’s Masters Par 3 Contest, Player spotted a female fan and invited her inside the ropes and onto the tee box. He signed her hat and posed for some pictures.
“I said come here – good-looking chick, too.… pic.twitter.com/GCbybQOT0A
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) April 8, 2026
None of this is new behavior at Augusta. For years, Player has greeted an elderly patron named Barbara with a kiss on the cheek near the first tee during Masters week, a ritual so consistent that fans near the first tee would actually anticipate it. As an Honorary Starter alongside Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, he has always been the most expressive of the three, pointing into crowds, exchanging quick jokes, and making patrons feel seen in a venue that is otherwise tightly controlled.
The on-course moments matched the mood too.
Gary Player, the all-time leader for hole-in-ones at the Par 3 Contest, rolled in a lengthy birdie putt that drew loud applause from the gallery. England’s Aaron Rai ultimately won the 2026 contest at 6-under 21, with four holes-in-one on the day from Justin Thomas, Wyndham Clark, Keegan Bradley, and Tommy Fleetwood, the latter becoming the first player to record a hole-in-one in back-to-back Par 3 contests.
It all adds up to a portrait of someone who genuinely enjoys the occasion. Gary Player still plays golf four times a week, claims to have beaten his age more than 3,000 consecutive times, and works out daily, sometimes doing push-ups mid-flight on his private jet. At 90, the energy is real, and his relation with the Masters? It speaks for itself as he shares one interesting story.
Gary Player’s Clubhouse Story From 1965
Earlier on Wednesday, Player sat in Augusta National’s clubhouse and recalled a moment from 1965 when Nicklaus and Palmer voted him to face chairman Clifford Roberts over fairway grass length. Roberts shut him down instantly: “The mowers are set as low as they can go, now good morning.”
Player laughed retelling it, but the story says something real. The man who nervously walked into Roberts’ office at 29 is the same man waving fans inside the ropes at 90. Augusta has always made him feel something, nerves included, and that connection has never left.
He described the club with genuine reverence, crediting its association with Eisenhower and Bobby Jones as the foundation of its identity. “This place is special. It’s evolved faster than any other major,” he said, adding simply, “It’s a part of me, this tournament.” Hard to fake that after six decades.
Gary Player also addressed his recent public disappointment over Augusta denying his request to play a private round with three grandsons. But on Wednesday, standing hours before the Par 3 Contest, he said he had only “peace” toward the club. Some relationships run too deep for grudges.
