Gary Player will be captain of the Olympic golf team for his native South Africa when the sport returns to the Olympic program in 2016 in Rio do Janeiro.
The South African Golf Association, which is the governing body for the sport in the country, made the announcement last week.
“I am delighted to accept the captaincy and look forward to leading our top professionals on the fairways of the Rio Olympics next year," Player said. "This is such a big moment for our country and for the game of golf as a whole, and I am proud to be a part of this. Golf and the Olympic movement share the same core values, so this is a very big opportunity to grow the game around the world. Our goal is to earn South Africa its first Olympic gold medal in a sport that has always done this country proud.”
Player joins other big names as captains of their respective countries for the Olympic golf tournament, including 1991 Open champion Ian Baker-Finch as Aussie captain and 2014 winning Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley leading the Irish charge.
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