Gary Player has never really done Augusta the quiet way. Even as the years moved on, even into his 80s and now his 90s, his role shifted from contender to honorary starter, but he stayed the same energetic presence. It’s what spectators have always known: high-kicking after tee shots, pointing into galleries, trading quick smiles and cheek kisses with patrons who come back each April hoping for exactly that kind of moment. But when those gestures become a little more personal and a little more visible than usual, it inevitably leaves one lingering question: how far is too far?

During Wednesday’s Masters Par 3 Contest at Augusta National, Player spotted a female fan from the tee box on the ninth hole and did something rare at one of sports’ most formal venues. He waved her inside the ropes. He signed her hat, posed for photos, and then leaned in for a kiss.

“I said, come here, good-looking chick, too. I gave her a kiss and everything,” he told Golf Channel afterward. “If you give love, you get love.”

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The Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club has incredibly strict rules for patrons. Given that the tournament is famously conservative and places a strong emphasis on traditional decorum and player etiquette, the current interaction seemed somewhat unusual. But the crowd loved every second of it.

Not only did he wave a female patron inside the ropes on nine, but he also picked up a young boy from beyond the gallery later and joked that they would play together when he was older. That kind of spontaneous interaction has long been part of Player’s presence during Masters week, particularly at the Par 3 Contest, which traditionally carries a lighter, more relaxed atmosphere than the tournament rounds that follow.

Previously, Player greeted an elderly patron named Barbara with a kiss on the cheek near the first tee during Masters week, a ritual so consistent that fans near the first tee would actually anticipate it. As an honorary starter alongside Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, he has always been the most expressive of the three, pointing into crowds, exchanging quick jokes, and making patrons feel seen in a venue that is otherwise tightly controlled.

The on-course moments matched the mood, too.

Gary Player, the all-time leader for hole-in-ones at the Par 3 Contest, rolled in a lengthy birdie putt that drew loud applause from the gallery. England’s Aaron Rai ultimately won the 2026 contest at 6-under 21, with four holes-in-one on the day from Justin Thomas, Wyndham Clark, Keegan Bradley, and Tommy Fleetwood, the latter becoming the first player to record a hole-in-one in back-to-back Par 3 contests.

It all adds up to a portrait of someone who genuinely enjoys the occasion. Gary Player still plays golf four times a week, claims to have beaten his age more than 3,000 consecutive times, and works out daily, sometimes doing push-ups mid-flight on his private jet. At 90, the energy is real, and his relationship with the Masters? It speaks for itself as he shares one interesting story.

Gary Player’s Clubhouse story from 1965

Earlier on Wednesday, Player sat in Augusta National’s clubhouse and recalled a moment from 1965 when Nicklaus and Palmer voted him to face chairman Clifford Roberts over fairway grass length. Roberts shut him down instantly:

“The mowers are set as low as they can go. Now, good morning.”

Player laughed retelling it, but the story says something real. The man who nervously walked into Roberts’ office at 29 is the same man waving fans inside the ropes at 90. Augusta has always made him feel something, nerves included, and that connection has never left.

He described the club with genuine reverence, crediting its association with Eisenhower and Bobby Jones as the foundation of its identity.

“This place is special. It’s evolved faster than any other major,” he said. “It’s a part of me, this tournament.”

Gary Player also talked about how upset he was when Augusta turned down his request to play a private round with three of his grandsons. But on Wednesday, standing in line for hours before the Par 3 Contest, he said he only wanted “peace” with the club. The request’s rejection earlier this year quietly highlighted a more complicated modern chapter in Player’s relationship with Augusta National, despite his legacy as a three-time champion and longtime honorary starter.

That tension has surfaced in other ways in recent years as well. In 2023, Player even ranked the Masters last among golf’s four majors in an interview with the UK’s Daily Mail, an unusually blunt assessment from someone so closely tied to the tournament’s history. And in 2021, Augusta National reportedly banned his son Wayne for life after a promotional stunt during the honorary starters ceremony drew criticism from tournament officials.

Even so, Player has continued to speak about Augusta with a mixture of reverence and honesty. His comments earlier this year about being “sad” that he could not secure a round with his grandsons reflected that balance, frustration on one side, but still a clear emotional attachment on the other.

Well, it won’t be wrong to say some relationships are too deep for grudges.