Is Gary Player golf’s “ageless wonder”? That’s certainly what he thinks! After he shot a 76 at Augusta National in 2023, the then 87-year-old excitedly claimed he could shoot his age “with my eyes closed.” He believes that technology has made the game easier, enabling him to rarely miss the fairway, average par, and often beat it by 15 shots—even with an injured hand at the Masters. Fast forward two years, and Player still insists he can do it, but the golf world remains skeptical.

During an exclusive interview, the 9x major champion began talking about his healthy habits: “I am still pushing 300 pounds with my legs, running the treadmill at max. And doing sit-ups and all these kinda things. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be playing like I do now. I beat my age, guys. 3,349 times in a row.” The claim caught the attention of Monday Q Info, who couldn’t help but try to break the numbers down. As per their hilarious calculations, assuming 150 rounds per year, implying Player’s streak would mean he hasn’t shot over 70 for 3 years or over 75 for 8 years, highlighting the improbability of the claim.

However, this isn’t the first time Gary Player has claimed such a thing. In 2023, Gary Player said that his score of 76 at Augusta National marked the 3,072nd time he has scored his age or better. Although this seems hard to believe, he shared that he first shot his age back in 2000 when he was 64 years old. He said, “The last time I missed a fairway, the Pope was an altar boy,” highlighting that Pope Francis was just one year younger before his recent death. An absurd claim? Fans think so.

Golf fans are baffled by Gary Player’s claim

If Gary Player has shot under his age 3,000 times in a row, he would need to play golf every day for over eight years to achieve that. This means he would have had to play daily since turning 80, scoring below his age each time. If he played five rounds a week, he would take 11.5 years to reach 3,000 rounds. Playing three rounds a week would mean he has shot his age in every round for nearly 20 years. Two fans couldn’t hide their disbelief. One fan said, “Always baffles me when people just blatantly lie like this to the public,” and the other said, “I applaud the specificity of the lie. Remarkable stuff.” Assuming Gary Player plays around five times a week suggests he hasn’t shot above his age in nearly 12 years. Has he really never had a bad day with a bogey? 

Two fans pointed out the cheating allegations thrown at Gary Player’s side. One fan shared a screenshot of the Skins Game in 1983 and said, “You mean this guy could be altering the truth?” while the other said, “Gary is the biggest liar of all time.“ We will take one infamous example from a 1983 event. During the 1983 Skins Game, Tom Watson and Gary Player had a controversy over an incident on the 16th hole. With significant prize money on the line—$120,000 due to carryover—Player stood 60 feet off the green when Watson noticed him move a leaf. Watson then made his shot to 8 inches for par, and the money carried over to the next hole.

On the 17th hole, now worth $150,000, Player made a birdie and won the largest prize of the day, while Watson ended up with only $10,000. After the round, Watson confronted Player and rules official Joe Dey behind the 18th green, accusing Player of foul play. He claimed that the leaf was not rooted, suggesting Player had acted illegally, and expressed his frustration by saying, “I’m tired of this.” However, one thing to note is that Player has always denied such allegations.

Lastly, a fan said, “Yehhhhhh I’m calling bulls–t.” Whatever the reaction may be, Player has always been consistent with that claim. In fact, he did so in 2015 as well during an interview with the Daily Mail.