A favorite Player

Forget what you've seen in the movies. In the world of golf -- and in Augusta -- the Black Knight is the good guy.

That's just one of the nicknames for three-time Masters Tournament champion Gary Player. He's also known as Mr. Fitness. His trim, 150-pound frame still can fit into the same green jacket he won for his first Masters victory in 1961.

The genial but fiercely competitive Player has appeared in more Masters Tournaments than any other golfer -- 52.

And this year's is his last.

It's sad enough that the tournament is bidding farewell to 1979 winner Fuzzy Zoeller, who helped celebrate a day named in his honor Monday.

But Player's announcement Monday struck a sad chord as well. At 73, the South African golfing legend admittedly isn't hitting the ball as far as he used to -- but arguably he's taken the game of golf further than anyone else. Dubbed the International Ambassador of Golf, he has logged more than 14 million miles of travel in his professional career, reputedly more than any other athlete.

How fortunate we are that so many of those miles have led Player to Augusta. His Masters victories rank among the tournament's best. Who could forget 1978 -- when he started the final round tied for 10th place, then birdied seven of his last 10 holes to end with a stellar 64? Few Masters finishes were more dramatic.

Perhaps what's most heartening about Augusta's love for Player is how sincerely that love is reciprocated.

"If there's a golf course in heaven," Player once said, "I hope it's like Augusta National. I just don't want an early tee time."

For Mr. Fitness? Don't bet on it any time soon.