Gary Player commits to his sixth Toshiba Classic

After a five-year hiatus, Gary Player will return to Newport Beach Country Club to compete in his sixth Toshiba Classic, his third Champions Tour event this season.

Player is the 12th World Golf Hall of Famer to be included in the field of this year’s Classic. He’ll be attempting to knock off defending champion Jay Haas for the $247,500 winner’s check.

“I love Toshiba,” the South African golfer said in a release from tournament organizers. “I love the event there. It’s a wonderful little golf course in the most beautiful part of the United States. I think California is still, overall, the most beautiful state. It reminds me a lot of South Africa where I live.”

Player and partner Loren Roberts finished third Monday in the Wendy’s Champions Skins Game in Kaanapali, Hawaii.

Monday, Player will be facing off against Roberts, who is also in this year’s field.

Player was the champion of 24 PGA tour events, 19 Champions Tour events and boasts 122 other victories across the globe. No professional athlete has traveled more in their job than Player, who has racked up more than 14 million miles.

The Black Knight was the third player, after Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan, to win golf’s four Grand Slam tournaments. Player started with his second PGA tour win at the 1959 British Open.

Player won three Masters (1961, 1974 and 1978), three British Opens (1959, 1968 and 1974), two PGA Championships (1962 and 1972) and the 1965 U.S. Open. Player has won six majors on the Champions Tour. He won the Senior PGA Championship in 1986, 1988 and 1990, the U.S Senior Open in 1987 and 1988, and the 1987 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship. Player, 72, has shot better than his age eight times on the Champions Tour, the last coming on Feb. 16, when he shot a second-round 70 at the ACE Group Classic.

This will be Player’s first Toshiba Classic appearance since 2003. His best finish was a tie for 11th in 1996.

“It’s a short golf course, but it’s a very tricky golf course and a very well-thought-out golf course,” said the renowned course architect. “But it gives me a chance to play a lot better with the golf course not being too long, where accuracy is at a premium.”

— From staff reports