AUGUSTA, Ga. - Gary Player’s latest triumph at Augusta National was 51 years in the making.

The three-time champion is playing in his 51st Masters this week, topping the record for most played that he’d shared with Arnold Palmer.

“It’s a thrill. It’s a thrill to know now I hold the record,” Player said. “Of course, all records are made to be broken, aren’t they? ... Somebody will come along and break 51 one day, I guess.”

Not for a while.

Raymond Floyd has the next longest streak among active players, and he’s playing in his 44th Masters. Ben Crenshaw made his 37th start at Augusta National on Thursday.

“I hope so!” Crenshaw said when asked if he’ll ever catch Player. “To have (Player and Palmer) here this long, they’re so much a part of this place. They made it what it is.”

It’s been years since Player, a nine-time major champion and one of only five golfers to win the career Grand Slam, was a threat at the Masters. He’s only made the cut twice in the last 17 years and won’t again this year after opening with an 11-over 83 on Thursday. But that’s not a bad number for a 72-year-old, who now considers 80 his par.

“So I was 3-over today,” he said. “I thought I was going to go for a lot more, but I played the back nine well.”

Player shot 39 on the back nine, and had his only birdie of the day on the par-5 13th.

“That’s a tough golf course,” he said. “The toughest golf course that I’ve ever played, not even a doubt.”

But don’t expect him to join Palmer as an honorary starter next year.

“I still putt very well and my short game is still very good,” he said. “I have been playing very nicely and I played very poorly today, really, except the back nine.”

Oberholser ready for break
With a 1-under 71 Thursday, it would seem Arron Oberholser’s array of injuries are behind him.

Not even close.

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Oberholser said he will take at least the next two months off after the Masters, and has already received a medical exemption for next season. He’s played only three other events this season.

“I can’t be out there hitting balls or doing anything,” he said. “If I take two months completely off and then don’t hit a ball and try to come back in the middle of the summer, it’s going to take me a month to get my game back to where I want it to be, anyway.

“I think what I’m going to do is just play a couple events late in the season this year ... and call it a year. Then I’ll have 22 or 23 events next year to do what I need.”

For months, Oberholser has been feeling a pull on the nerve in his right shoulder when he swings. Sometimes, the pain shoots all the way down to his elbow. His left hand doesn’t feel right, either, after having surgery last October to correct a recurring injury.

“The doctor who did my surgery ... didn’t understand what a golfer has to do with his left hand to hold a club, and that’s where the surgery was. It was right in the palm of my left hand where I hold the golf club,” Oberholser said. “I came back too early because I thought I could. I can play one round of golf, I might even be able to play two decent rounds of golf. But to play three, four consecutive and then to play two, three weeks in a row, I can’t do it.”

One thing Oberholser won’t do is have more surgery. After the last few months, he doesn’t want to see any more doctors.

“I’m tired of listening to doctors, to be honest with you,” he said. “It’s all guesswork and white coats. I’m not happy right now. Can you tell? It’s very frustrating.”

Cutting it close
Fred Couples needs to pick it up. He’s got a streak to preserve.

The former champion has never missed the weekend at the Masters, sharing the record for consecutive cuts made (23) with Gary Player. But his 4-over 76 Thursday has him in a tie for 65th. The top 44 and ties — plus those within 10 strokes of the leader — make the cut.

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“I misclubbed a lot of shots, and they were hard shots. I didn’t hit very good ones and I didn’t make many putts, so when you do that, it kind of adds up to 76, which is very mediocre,” Couples said.

Couples’ rough start was a surprise, considering he tied for fourth at the Houston Open last weekend. It was his best finish of the year, and highest since he tied for third at the 2006 Masters.

But Couples has been in this spot before at Augusta National and recovered. He shot a 78 in the first round in 1996, rebounded with a 68 the next day and wound up tying for 15th.

“I hit the ball well. It wasn’t like I embarrassed myself,” he said. “You’ve got to make birdies. If I could have made a couple more birdies and hung in there, maybe I wouldn’t have tried a couple shots that I put myself in horrible places by trying to get a little greedy.”