Gary Player Is Getting Bang for His Putts : Golf: Playing a schedule limited by his involvement in worldwide ventures, he makes the most of his time on the Senior Tour.

For the past two years, Gary Player had been the most productive performer on the Senior PGA Tour.

Bob Charles of New Zealand was No. 1 on the money list both years. Last year, he entered 26 tournaments and earned $725,887. Player, 54, played in 18 and earned $514,116.

Player, who is from South Africa, is so busy building golf courses, running two ranches and playing golf around the world, he doesn’t enter as many tournaments as the top money-winners among the 50-and-older set. But in 1988 and ‘89, Player won more money per event than any other golfer.

Player and Charles will be among the top contenders in a select field today trying to stop Lee Trevino’s stampede through the seniors. Trevino, a rookie old-timer, has won two tournaments and finished second in the other for the fastest senior start ever. He will face 53 others in the $400,000 54-hole Chrysler Vintage Invitational on the 6,907-yard Vintage Country Club Mountain course.

Player figures he has spent three years of his life in an airplane seat, stopping long enough to win 152 tournaments worldwide, including 68 on the two U.S. tours. He has won the British Open and the Masters three times, the PGA twice and the U.S. Open. He will play in a record 36th consecutive British Open in July and is the only golfer to win that tournament in three different decades.

“This is an exciting time for me,” Player said during the pro-am Thursday. “I am building 42 golf courses all over the world, I’m playing one of the most beautiful golf courses there is, and most exciting of all is what’s happening in South Africa.

“Since I was a kid I have been fighting against apartheid. It is a terrible thing and it is coming to an end. It has ruined our economy and our goodwill. The whole continent is in a recession. But we can take heart from what is happening in Eastern Europe. I like to think I played a part in eradicating apartheid.

“This is a wonderful time in Africa. (President Frederik W.) de Klerk is a wonderful man. But he isn’t the only great man. There’s (Nelson R.) Mandela and (Mangosuthu Gatsha) Buthelezi, the chief of the Zulus (tribe). We have many top leaders. We have 34 million people committed to peace, prosperity and a place in the sun for everyone.

“We have 1 million, both on the extreme right and left, who believe in violence. Those have to be guided in the right direction, and we will have a great country. We have a chance to be America on a smaller scale. We have the minerals, the wealth and the people.

“De Klerk (legalized) the ANC (African National Congress) and that was a good thing. I don’t agree with the ANC that we should nationalize our industry. We can see that idea crumbling all around us.”

Player said few Americans know much about Africa.

“I think when Americans think of Africa they think of jungles and wild animals,” he said. “People seem amazed when I tell them we have miles and miles of beautiful beaches. We have probably the most beautiful continent. And now, I’m sure we’re headed for greatness.”

Player owns ranches of 5,000 and 1,000 acres in South Africa. He breeds and trains race horses, has a dairy and sheep and grows feed.

“I have another pet project,” he said. “We have just spent $2 million to build a school on one of the ranches. We are teaching 300 black students.”

Player is building courses all over the world, including in the United States. He is also building one in Bangkok, where golfers will attempt to drive over the River Kwai.

“I will visit all of them more than once this year,” Player said. “It’s a good thing I enjoy flying. I am getting close to 8 million miles.

“I think I can keep up this pace for another 10 years. I keep myself fit and watch my diet. I stay away from animal fat. Maybe that’s why I’m not bothered by jet lag.”

Trevino’s fast start on the senior tour reminds Player of himself as a rookie. “I won two out of my first three, and the senior PGA was one of them,” Player said.

In his mind, Player is the forgotten man of golf. A quarter of a century ago, he was one of golf’s Big Three, joining Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. But fans, he says, seem to view Player as just another contender on the senior tour.

“But time goes by and people forget all the tournaments I’ve won,” he said. “Only my wife and dog remember.”

Player is off to a slow start this season, but he doesn’t think the prostate surgery he had in December is responsible. He said he feels as good as he has in years.

“The skins game showed I’m hitting the ball well,” he said. “With a little luck I’ll win the big money instead of none at all. I think I’m ready to play real well.”

In the first round of the pro-am, he shot a seven-under 65 over the Desert course to take top honors.