Gary Player once said Ian Baker-Finch ‘can’t play at all’ after 1991 Open triumph

Gary Player has never been shy about sharing his views on the game of golf, and over the years, he’s built quite a reputation for it.

Throughout his career, Player was one of the sport’s most successful figures, racking up 159 wins worldwide. That included 24 victories on the PGA Tour and an impressive nine major championships.

Now 89, the South African still plays regularly but is more often in the headlines for his comments on today’s game and its players.

A few years ago, he spoke out against green-reading books on the PGA Tour, arguing that they were taking some of the skill out of professional golf.

Over time, his reputation as someone who doesn’t hold back with his thoughts has only grown stronger. He’s always been known to be quite confrontational as well.

Gary Player once said this top golfer ‘can’t play at all’

Ian Baker-Finch won The Open in 1991 at Royal Birkdale. In the years that followed, Baker-Finch lost his game entirely and eventually stopped playing professionally altogether.

Baker-Finch played a shot out of bounds with a driver on the opening hole, which is considered the widest fairway in golf. It was a moment that many saw as symbolic of how far his game had slipped.