South African Player won the Open three times

Nine-time major winner Gary Player says golfers need to adopt a different approach to fitness and diet in order to be successful.

The 73-year-old was speaking as the 50th anniversary of his first major win, the Open in 1959, approaches.

"I spoke to a regular tour player the other day who said he doesn't even go to the gym. I'm shocked when I hear that," Player told BBC Scotland.

"I don't think that even 2% of athletes today are eating properly."

He added: "When I started weight training 63 years ago, they all said, 'Gary Player's a nut, he'll never last, you can't do weight training and play golf'. And then came all this change in equipment and the betterment of the mind.

"Now I'm going to say something that everybody's going to say, 'well, he's a cook again'. My grandchildren's children will never eat anything we eat today. The one thing they won't eat is a white bread roll, three pieces of fatty bacon, butter and a cup of coffee. I wouldn't give that to my dog.

"Our bodies are machines. Most people put more effort into their automobile than their bodies. Obesity is killing more people in the world today than all the wars of the world put together. It's a frightening stat. In America, 24% of the youth are obese already, 54% of the grown-ups.

"Eating is going to be the next big thing, to be sharp in your mind and to know that your blood is being circulated and that your reflexes are good.

"We've got to start helping our children eat properly, to stay away from high animal fats and to eat more vegetables, fruit, brown bread, nuts and salads.

I'd like to see a man like Lee Westwood win the Open Gary Player

"There's going to be a massive change and one day I hope this will be on record where they can say, 'that guy wasn't too dumb after all'."

The European leg of the Gary Player Invitational this year takes place in Scotland, where Player won his 1959 Open at Muirfield.

"I've been coming to Scotland for 55 years and I'm so happy to say I won two of my Opens in Scotland," he added.

"I'm a great lover of courses like Muirfield and St Andrews. Turnberry's also one of my favourite places.

"I love playing in Scotland. My family tree coming from here - my mother's side was Scottish and my father's side was English.

"Coming back here and playing the regular tour taught me so much. To play in those weather conditions and to be a man and accept adversity was a great education."

Scotland has not had a winner at the Open since Paul Lawrie in 1999, but Player believes the home of golf still has the potential to produce top competitors.

"Sandy Lyle will go down in history as the best golfer in Scotland because he won the Open and the Masters - a remarkable effort," he said. "Colin Montgomerie won the Order of Merit seven times, a wonderful effort.

"Look at a small country like South Africa, other than the United States, we've won more major championships than any country in the world post-war, it's remarkable.

"But we had good programmes and this is what you've got to have in Scotland, good junior programmes, good coaching and to be encouraged - that's a big thing.

"What a great opportunity you have in Scotland. You're inundated with golf courses all over. Around every corner, there's a great golf course.

"You've got the great golf courses, but they should be watching Tiger Woods and studying him."

Player expects Woods to be the man to beat at this year's Open at Turnberry but has high hopes for Englishman Lee Westwood.

"I'd like to see a man like Lee Westwood win the Open," added Player.

"He's been a wonderful role model, he's losing weight, he's training, practising hard and has a good manager in sport, so I'd like to see Lee do well, but they've got to beat Tiger, this man is something special.

"Obviously the weather plays a vital role. When they last played at Muirfield, Tiger got in that storm. Nobody could win with that."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version