Imagine his first trip to the Masters.

It took him 40 hours from Johannesburg to Augusta, Ga., with five layovers.

"And it was those Constellation jets, where you could hear the droning at 29,000 feet amongst the storms,'' Player recalled. "There were no first-class seats. I traveled with six children on those planes. I had to win the tournament to break even.''

He didn't win his first Masters until 1961 - the first international player in a green jacket.

"There's been a lot of international players who have won, and it made me feel good,'' Player said. "Because being small in stature, I could go there and win, and these other guys said, 'Listen, if that little runt can do it, I know I can. So it has encouraged people to go on and play well.''

Player will be among six South Africans in the Masters. There also will be seven players from Australia, tied with England for most from one country outside the United States. Sweden has five players, Spain has four, Japan and South Korea two each.

"You need heroes to kind of fire you up, and he was definitely one of them,'' Els said. "I probably know just about every major he's won and where he's won it. It shows you the influence he's had on my life and my career.''

Bobby Locke was the first great player from South Africa, winning the British Open four times. Paving the way for Australia were five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson, Wayne Grady, Ian Baker-Finch and particularly Greg Norman. There now are two dozen Aussies on the PGA Tour, and a half-dozen have won since the last Masters.

Player seems to belong to every nation, perhaps because he has been to most of them. He was part of the "Big Three'' with Palmer and Nicklaus, playing exhibitions all over the world to help grow the game.

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"He has led a great thing for international golf, which is something that I tried to create when I went to the British Open in 1960,'' Palmer said. "Did I ever think that it would be, in less than 50 years, as huge and competitive as it is? I'm not so sure. But I think it's wonderful, and I think it will get bigger and better.''

The sheer number of international players at the Masters likely can be traced to 1999.

That's when the World Golf Championships began, which not only brought together the best players on the globe, but made it easier for international stars to take up membership on the PGA Tour. The U.S. Open in 1998 and the Masters in 1999 began using the world ranking for its criteria to qualify.

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"Other tours have taken great strides,'' South Africa's Trevor Immelman said. "But if we're honest with ourselves, if you want to be the best, you have to be in America on the PGA Tour. When you're an international player, you know that growing up. And you know what you have to do. Gary laid out the path.''

The path seems to never end for Player, a wonderful storyteller, a proud champion, a global icon.

Player returned to St. Andrews for the British Open two years ago, the 50-year anniversary of his debut. Before checking into a five-star hotel, he went out to the beach along St. Andrews Bay.

"I went to that same spot where I had slept,'' Player said. "I knelt down and said a prayer. That's where it all started. I was so fortunate to win so many tournaments around the world. And I said a prayer of thanks.''

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