Gary Player makes a "Pope" joke to show off his claimed fairway record

Golf legend Gary Player recently made a joke referencing the Pope, to boast about his fairway record. The 88-year-old continues to be active in the game in which he has won nine Major championships.

Player posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) in which he is teeing off on a golf course with lush fairways and sand bunkers. He was sporting a black outfit with a black polo shirt, black pants, and a black cap as he effortlessly executed a powerful drive.

In the video, the South African golfer says,

"The last time I missed a fairway, the Pope was an altar boy. GP #PXGTroops"

For those who may not be aware, an altar boy is a young assistant who helps a priest during religious services. Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, is 87 years old.

Fans were delighted to see the legendary golfer at the age of 88 making a powerful drive out on the course and expressed their appreciation in the replies.

"Loved this,"one fan wrote.

One fan wondered if Gary Player was referring to Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005, which would imply that he has been playing golf at a high level for a very long time.

"Yes sir!!!! But which pope??? Probably John paul???," the fan commented.

Here are some more fan reactions:

"The last time you showed humility, Moby Dick was a minnow," one fan jotted.

"There we go. Player being ever so modest for a change! Unbelievable!,"another fan commented.

Player was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1935. He turned professional at the age of 18 in 1953. Player came to be known as one of "the big three" in the game of golf, with more than 150 wins in his career. He has 24 wins on the PGA Tour and is one of only five golfers to win all four Majors.

Let's take a look at Gary Player's nine Major victories along with his scores at these tournaments:

• 1959 Open Championship (4 under par) [75, 71, 70, 68]
• 1961 Masters (8 under par) [69, 68, 69, 74]
• 1962 PGA Championship (2 under par) [72, 67, 69, 70]
• 1965 US Open (2 over par) [70, 70, 71, 71]
• 1968 Open Championship (1 over par) [74, 71, 71, 73]
• 1972 PGA Championship (1 over par) [71, 71, 67, 72]
• 1974 Masters (10 under par) [71, 71, 66, 70]
• 1974 Open Championship (2 under par) [69, 68, 75, 70]
• 1978 Masters (11 under par) [72, 72, 69, 64]

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Gary Player turned down potential deal with LIV Golf

Last month, legendary golfer Gary Player said that he turned down a deal with LIV Golf. Several legends of the game have reportedly received offers from LIV Golf.

Player said (via Bunkered UK),

"There is a lot of money and quite honestly I’m not adverse to playing for a lot of money. But I think this high amount of money is hurting the game to a degree.

Somebody would say, ‘Well, Gary would like to have that.’ Well, I was offered money too – in a different capacity – and I turned it down. [Jack] Nicklaus was offered money. Tiger [Woods] was offered money. We turned it down because we had a dream and an appreciation for what the PGA did for us."

Nicklaus, another of 'the big three', recently revealed that he was offered a $100 million deal by LIV Golf.