Our Interview With Gary Player on the Eve of the Open Championship

Over the weekend, I was able to speak with the legendary "man in black," Gary Player, as he prepares to participate in the Champions Challenge at St. Andrews.  He also is author of a new book with Dr. Bob Rotella entitled Don't Choke: A Champion's Guide to Winning Under Pressure.

Ryan Ballengee: Mr. Player, the title of your book is rather blunt - Don't Choke. So many Tour players have talked about accepting and managing pressure, not suppressing it. Is being frank with pressure and acknowledging it an important step in dealing with it?

Gary Player: Yes. I learned to love pressure, but the first step was acknowledging that I was feeling it and would continue to feel it no matter when or where I played. What I told myself was that during a tournament, or a round I would hit bad shots and that everyone else would hit bad shots too. The key is to not let a bad shot negatively affect your game, or life for that matter. I have seen so many players wreck a tournament because of one bad shot. I never did that. I refused to let negative thoughts enter my mind. Staying positive is essential to becoming successful in golf or life.

RB: In your professional life, what was the stretch in your career in which you felt the most pressure?

GP: I don’t know if there was one specific stretch of time when I felt more pressure, but the one tournament that stands out in my mind was the 1969 PGA Championship in Dayton, Ohio. The opposition to Apartheid was ferocious in the USA, and being a South African I was considered to be a racist white man who supported Apartheid. This tournament was by far the most pressure I have ever felt on a golf course. While I played, people were throwing ice in my eyes and telephone books on my back during my backswing. They were charging me on the greens when I was about to putt, and screaming as I took the putter back. I had police protection were ever I went. All of that pressure cost me the tournament. I lost to Raymond Floyd by one shot because of it.

More with Mr. Player after the jump, including his about his first major win at the Open Championship in 1959.

RB: When you and your wife first came to the United States to play the Tour here, how did you cope with the uncertainty of a paycheck and a new marriage?

GP: Anyone with a family understands that there is great pressure to provide and my situation was no different. The only thing that I could control was my ability to win. I knew that if I played my game and won then I would earn enough money to support us, so that is what I set out to do. It is difficult to explain, but supporting my family didn’t add any pressure it was something I did. The responsibility to support my family was my first concern and winning was the only way to do it.

RB: To win the '59 Open Championship, you came back from 8 down heading into the 36 hole final day. What was the pressure of that final day, having the confidence you did that you could win?

GP: That was a tough day and a tough tournament. The wind was howling and the weather was horrible, but I was determined to win my first major. I decided that Muirfield was the place and I played as hard as I could. I stayed positive and fought through the conditions knowing that everyone had to play the same course in the same conditions. When I made 6 on the last hole I was convinced that I had blown the tournament and I was nearly inconsolable. When I started to doubt that I had the ability to win a major I pushed that thought right out of my head and it turned out that even with a 6 on the last hole my score of 284 was enough to win. That taught me that even when you think you have failed you may have succeeded and to never believe that I would fail.

RB: How did it compare to majors where you were in charge after 36 or 54 holes?

GP: The pressure from coming from behind is actually less than playing when you are ahead. When you are behind you are able to take risks and in the case of Muirfield making up 8 shots was a huge margin to overcome so I was actually more at ease than one would expect. When you are ahead one small mistake, one bogey can start to put pressure on you because you fear mistakes. I never feared mistakes I always said that if I made a mistake then I would hit a great shot to make up for it. As I said earlier, too many players let a bad shot ruin a great round or a tournament. The key is to forget about the bad shot and play to win.

RB: Playing this week at the Champions Challenge at St. Andrews, do you expect to feel any kind of pressure playing with such illustrious competitors?

GP: I am still as competitive as ever and I want to win so I am sure that I will feel some pressure. The great thing about the Champions Challenge is that I will be playing with and against some great friends and that is just fantastic. I look at the event as great fun and a celebration of one of the great championships and courses. I’m not going to put any pressure on myself to win, but make no mistake I plan on winning.

RB: For the average person, they face pressure in their daily lives. What are the three things you would say they should remember to be successful in those situations?

GP: Everyone feels pressure the key is how you deal with it. Learn to love it. Feed off of it. Let it make you stronger. When you master pressure and the power of positive thought your life will change. Many have said that my ever present positive attitude is a farce, but that is not true. Remember you always have a choice – to be positive or negative. I have chosen positive and it has helped me live a life I could have never imagined.