Augusta's been a great hunting ground for me. I hold the record for most consecutive cuts made (23, shared with Fred Couples). I have 15 top-10s. But if I had to pick one highlight, it was shooting 30 on the back nine in 1978 to win by one.
You started seven strokes back that Sunday but said later, 'I knew before I teed it up I was going to win.' How did you know?
I was very much an extrovert when it came to being behind because in my 163 career wins I guarantee you there were at least 15 tournaments where I was six or seven behind and went on to win. I won the British Open when I was four behind. When I played Tony Lema in the World Match Play, I was 7-down and I won.
So before that round my son, Wayne, said to me, "Dad, I've never seen you play so well and you're not holing many putts. Hole some putts today and you could shoot 65 and win." Turns out, 65 would have tied. So for me to shoot 64 with a bogey on No. 9, that was my highlight.
Some people have said that Palmer handed you the 1961 Masters when he double-bogeyed the 72nd hole to forfeit the lead. How do you see it?
Everybody saw (Palmer's miscue) on 18, so this is the conclusion they all came to, particularly because Arnold was such a popular man. But when I played 13, I hit my drive to the right and had a big gap in the trees to go up the 14th fairway. I could have hit a 7-iron up there. Then I could have taken a sand wedge and might have birdied the hole.
But I couldn't move the people. I was an inexperienced young man. If that had been Nicklaus or Tiger Woods, they would have just sat down until everybody moved. But I thought, "I better not do that." I felt uncomfortable. I should have just sat there. Instead, I tried to chip it back on the fairway. I chipped it into the creek, and got a 7. Then I made a 6 at No. 15. But because Arnold Palmer made a 6 at 18, everybody forgot about (how I recovered after) my 7 and my 6.
One of the things that I'll always be grateful for is Sports Illustrated, because they said, "Gary Player wonthe Masters." They got it right.
Arnie got his due a year later.
That's right. I was leading Arnold by two shots with three holes to play — and this is the biggest disappointment I ever had at Augusta. I put my tee shot about 12 feet from the hole at 16 and Arnold missed the green to the right. He put it in the fringe between the bunker and the green, and the flag was back-left.
At the time Jimmy Demaret said Arnold would need a shag bag to get down in two because you've got to hit it 20 feet to the right. So I said to my caddie, "We've won the tournament." Sure enough, his chip came down at a tremendous pace and whacked the flag and went in. Then at 17 he hooked the ball into the Eisenhower Tree, hit a 5-iron to 25 feet and holed it. People are quick to forget these things.
You've said that chip shot was the best Masters shot you've seen.
It was fives times as difficult as the chip that Tiger Woods holed there — five times as difficult. It was the most unbelievable shot ever played at Augusta.
As captain of your Presidents Cup team last year, you selected a struggling Mike Weir as a captain's pick. He went on to beat Tiger in their singles match, then won the following week on the PGA Tour. You had to feel vindicated.
It made me feel so good because you hear this and that — how can he select him in front of me? It's a tough deal. Then he becomes the man of the match. What makes me feel so good is that selecting him could change his whole life because he hadn't been playing well last year.
Did you give Weir a pep talk?
I said to my entire team, "Understand this: That little ball doesn't know who you're playing. You just need to introduce that little ball to the hole." I played Jack Nicklaus twice in the World Match Play Championship, and beat him 5 and 4 and 6 and 4. Size has nothing to do with it. It's how you prepare yourself.
Let's discuss your recent cameo on the HBO show, Curb Your Enthusiasm. How'd that happen?
They approached us, and I heard Larry David is such a nice guy. I'm so pleased I did it because it was a lot of fun.
Might you have a second career in Hollywood?
(Laughs) No, no. I'm a farmer, man.
