Editor's note: This story originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of PGA Magazine.
When Gary Player made a 2-foot par putt to win the 1962 PGA Championship on July 22 at Aronimink Golf Club, he froze over the 18th hole for a few seconds as he retrieved his ball.
Some wondered if Player was exhausted from the grueling final round. He was not.
The PGA was always the hardest major to win because it always has the strongest field of only professionals. When you win the PGA, you’ve really won a tough tournament. That win was a very major step in my career.
“I was just saying thank you from above for letting me win this tournament,” recalls Player, now 90.
There were many reasons he was thankful. The then-26-year-old South African became the first foreign-born player to win the PGA Championship in the stroke-play era. It was his third major championship – he had previously won the 1959 Open Championship and the 1961 Masters – leaving him a U.S. Open title away from completing the Grand Slam (which he accomplished in 1965). And it came a week after he missed the cut in the Open Championship at Troon by a heartbreaking shot.
But things change quickly in golf. In nine days, he went from despair to euphoria. He went from leaving a major too early to lifting the Wanamaker Trophy. He vividly remembers his wife Vivienne (who passed away in 2021 after 64 years of marriage) kissing him three times on the 18th green, perhaps one for every major win.
“The PGA was always the hardest major to win because it always has the strongest field of only professionals,” Player explains. “When you win the PGA, you’ve really won a tough tournament. That win was a very major step in my career.”
Missing the cut at Troon in 1962 was a blessing for Player. He used the flight from Scotland to the U.S. to begin to learn the nuances of Aronimink, which had never hosted a major. Once he got on the tree-lined property, Player spent almost a week learning where to hit – and where to miss – his shots. He said he fell in love with the club at first sight.
Dressed in his customary all-black, Players shot 72 in the first round to sit six shots behind leader John Barnum. Player then fired a 67 in the second round to move within a shot of the lead shared by Doug Ford and George Bayer. A third-round 69 gave Player a two-shot lead over Bayer and Bob McCallister. Player two-putted the 18th hole from 35 feet to finish off a 70 that gave him a one-shot victory over Goalby at 2-under 278.
“I had this jab putting stroke that was working so well that week, and I was in great condition,” Player says. “I will say this: The (Aronimink) members were so gracious to me, and that helped. When you’re happy, you play your best.”
Aronimink Golf Club’s membership continues to treat Player well. Last year they gave him an honorary membership and renamed one of its rooms the Gary Player Lounge to honor his 1962 victory.
Player has visited Aronimink often over the years, as his daughter Amanda lives nearby. He plans on attending the 2026 PGA Championship as a Past Champion.
“I can’t wait to get back to this beautiful place,” he says excitedly.
Another reason to be thankful.