While the 90th edition of the Masters began with an unprecedented gathering of legends, the "Black Knight" made a surprising revelation about the tournament's past. Gary Player offered an astonishingly honest account of how he once viewed the Masters when he first competed in it.

During his press conference on April 9, 2026, Gary Player shared that he did not always consider the Masters the most prestigious of the four majors. The comments provided a rare look into a three-time champion's perspective from the tournament's early history.

"At one stage, I said I thought the Masters was the fourth most important of the four majors, and people were offended by that, but there was a reason," Gary Player revealed. The South African legend recalled that, in his early years, the significance of The Open Championship outweighed that of the Masters.

This sentiment was shared during the media session after the Honorary Starters officially opened the tournament.

When Player first competed in the tournament, the Masters had yet to establish its global reputation compared to the historic U.S. Open and British Open. “When I was a young man, we stood there… we'd say this is a putt for the British Open or Jack would have said this is a putt for the U.S. Open,” Player recalled.

However, Player emphasized that no other tournament has evolved more positively than the Masters. He admires how quickly the club has built a unique atmosphere along with world-class infrastructure and the Masters' growing stature over time.

How Augusta National Elevated the Masters’ Prestige

The rise of the Masters is closely tied to deliberate changes made by Augusta National Golf Club over the decades.

Television coverage changed how people saw the Masters. The broadcast was simple, had fewer ads, and showed the same key spots like Amen Corner again and again, which made it easy to recognize. It felt more controlled than other events, and that made a difference.

At the same time, Augusta National Golf Club kept the course in top condition and made small changes only when needed. The field stayed limited, which made it harder to get in, and as more international players started competing, the event grew beyond just a local stage.

Over time, this changed how the Masters was viewed, and Player’s earlier opinion doesn’t really apply now.

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Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav