The Gary Player Collection

Offered in this auction are the most important golf trophies to ever hit the auction block. In eight consecutive auction lots, we are pleased to offer all four of the Major Championship trophies that make up the Grand Slam – The Masters, The Open, the US Open, and the PGA Championship, as well as four Senior Major Championships. To put this in perspective, in the entire history of sports memorabilia auctions (ours and all others), not only have these trophies never been offered at the same time, many of these trophies have never been offered for sale at all.

And that brings us to Gary Player. His playing record is among the finest in history, and he is one of only 5 men to obtain the game’s highest achievement – the Holy Grail of golf - the Grand Slam. Joining Gary Player in this exclusive club are Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. He will forever be remembered as golf’s first global star and international ambassador of the game. In addition to his 9 Major Championship victories, Gary Player won 165 professional golf tournaments in six continents over seven decades. But the Black Knight’s legacy does not stop here; his commitment to charity may be his greatest achievement of them all. His foundation has raised more than $64 million for impoverished children around the globe.

The trophies presented in this auction were previously sold to a private collector to raise money for charitable causes. This is the first time they have ever been offered for public sale. While the trophies will be sold in individual auction lots, the hope is that the winning bidder(s) will allow this truly historic collection to be placed somewhere where it will be on display for public viewing. Outside the homes of Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods, it’s hard to imagine a more complete collection of Major Trophies ever being assembled together again.

Gary Player 1965 US Open Trophy

Offered here is Gary Player's official large (90% scale) 1965 US Open Championship trophy. The 1965 US Open at Bellerive in St Louis was an important moment in Gary Player's career, and in golf history. Gary Player became the 1st foreign born golfer to win the US Open since 1927. The US Open victory also earned the 29 year old Gary Player entrance into the most coveted achievement in golf - the career Grand Slam. He joined Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan as the only others to win all of golf's modern Major Championships. The only players to complete the Grand Slam since 1965 are Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. . 

This is the very first large US Open trophy that we have ever brought to auction. This is not the smaller "player" trophy that we and other auction houses have sold a few times, but the one large scale US Open trophy made for the US Open Champion. 

This is not the trophy that was received by Gary Player at the time of his victory. Some years after Gary Player's victory, the USGA allowed this large 90% scale US Open to be produced for his 1965 US Open triumph. The engraving of Champions on this trophy was kept current though 2006 - stopping after Geoff Ogilvy's victory in 2006. 

This official 90% scale US Open trophy is hallmarked by the USGA's official trophy producer Nicholas Winton, Ltd, and stands 22" tall and measures 10" from handle to handle.