Player has no sympathy for golf’s ‘moaning’ millionaires

Mark Garrod

The 70-year-old hopes to hear no more moaning from millionaire sportsmen about how tired they are or how much travelling they have to do.

"I don't go for that tired line," said Player, who steps back into the limelight next month as captain of the International side which takes on the Jack Nicklaus-led Americans in the Presidents Cup.

"We're becoming soft and I don't understand the thinking that you have, quite honestly. How can you tell me you're tired or it's tough to do?"

Player will be without Ernie Els in Virginia following the world number four's sailing accident, and he paid him a visit at home recently.

"He was really frustrated sitting in front of the television not being able to do much, but he's recovering quickly I'm happy to say. "

Player said he pretended to cry when Els couldn't use his private jet when going to the Middle East and had to fly like normal human beings.

"And you were only getting a million dollars appearance money, then you won the tournament and you got another million dollars. Hell, I understand how tough that is, Ernie.

"I said 'You dog, I did that for 25 years and never ever got a million dollars appearance money and never made a million in my life for first prize. Your stories touched my heart'.

"From the time Ernie gets up in the morning, he doesn't put his hand on his suitcase. He's got somebody putting it in the car, he gets out at the airport, walks straight on the plane and you pay a baggage man $20.

"There's food and a chef or whatever it is and you're flying in a G5 and you're telling me that's tiring. Man, I've done 15 million miles in an airplane with six children and 33 pieces of baggage and three taxis and three rooms and I had to win the tournament to break even.

"It's all relative. I went from South Africa to London last week, did business there, got on a plane, flew all the way to Canada, played with 150 people the next morning with no chance to get used to the time change, went back to Florida, did the thing I had to do and flew up here [to Akron to announce his Presidents Cup wildcards]. Think of the average man in his home town and he sees some guy winning $900,000 and getting a million dollars [appearance money] and the pressman writes 'he's tired and he can't perform his best'. They think we're crazy and I do too!"

Player's wildcard choices raised some eyebrows. He picked the likes of Trevor Immelman overlooking Steve Elkington, joint second in the US PGA, Japan's Shigeki Maruyama and South Korean KJ Choi.

They are all ahead of Immelman in the world rankings.