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Golf's Majors

From Hagen and Hogan to a Bear and a Tiger, Inside the Game's Most Unforgettable Performances

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From golf legend and nine-time major champion Gary Player, a riveting history of golf's pinnacle events, packed with dramatic moments and insider stories

In the game of golf, four tournaments stand alone: The Masters. The U.S. Open. The British Open. The PGA Championship. They boast histories that stretch back a century or more. Winning a major is the capstone of a golfer's career, a guarantee that they will be remembered by history. Gary Player has won nine, a figure that ranks him fourth all time. Player has been at the heart of the golf world for more than six decades—his first major victory was in 1959—and is uniquely positioned to write the definitive history of golf's greatest tournaments.

Over the course of four thrilling sections, one for each of the majors, Player takes readers inside the minds of the game's greatest competitors at the most dramatic moments. There are pulse-pounding finishes: Phil Mickelson roaring back from five shots down to win the 2013 British Open; Jack Nicklaus's stunning comeback to take the 1986 Masters at age 46; Player's own thrilling victory in a playoff at the 1965 U.S. Open to complete the Career Grand Slam. There is great glory: Johnny Miller dropping a Sunday 63 to win the 1973 U.S. Open; Tiger Woods's thunderous coronation at the 1997 Masters. And there is heartbreak, as well: Roberto De Vincenzo signing the wrong scorecard in 1968; Jean van de Velde's meltdown in 1999 at Carnoustie.

Throughout, Player shares his insider wisdom on what makes each tournament unique. While the Masters returns to Augusta National each spring, the other three majors cycle between a variety of courses that reward different styles of play. He reveals his personal opinions on the craziest finishes, the toughest courses, the most challenging holes to play, and whom he believes to be the greatest golfer of them all.


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    • Kirkus

      April 1, 2024
      One of the all-time greats offers an extensive history of golf's most important tournaments. "This book will examine the story behind the story of all the different ways players have won (and lost) the game of their lives," writes Williams in the introduction. "And although winning a major championship does not guarantee greatness, not winning one guarantees that you will never be considered great. Deep in his heart, every golfer knows this." As Player and Williams demonstrate, the four major championships--the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and the Open Championship--are the pinnacles of competition. (Player won nine.) First up is the youngest, the Masters, with its "coveted" green jacket. The authors take readers through a series of memorable tournaments, from 1935, when Gene Sarazen's double eagle on a par 5 led to a victory in a 36-hole playoff, to 2021, when Hideki Matsuyama became the first-ever Japanese player to win the Masters. The 1923 PGA battle between Walter Hagen and Sarazen was the "greatest 38-hole match play championship of all-time." Many readers will enjoy the authors' accounts of the older tournaments because TV coverage wasn't around then. Player personally witnessed the "greatest clutch putting performance" in Jerry Barber's 1961 win, and he describes in detail his own return to form in 1962 with his PGA win at Aronimink. The U.S. Open is the "toughest tournament there is," and Player's win in 1965 earned him the Grand Slam, the "best achievement of my career." The Open Championship, played in the U.K., is all about "imagination." Player won three Opens; in 1959, he became the "youngest man to win the Open over seventy-two holes." The book's almanac-like approach encourages dipping in here and there rather than reading straight through. Despite fairly dry prose, this compendious book is a breezy, fact-filled read golfers will devour.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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  • English

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