TO BE THE BEST - Reflections of a Champion by Player, Gary (with Michael McDonnell) (foreword by Arnold Palmer) - 1991

London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1991. (viii) 165 pp. Black boards lettered in gilt on the spine; illustrated with colour and black and white plates. Light rubbing at the corners of the dustjacket; price intact; no interior markings. This is the intensely private story of a very public sporting hero, Gary Player's own account of his rise to the top, from a humble childhood in Johannesburg to multi-million dollar golf legend. It reveals the personal traumas of his life, the death threats because he was a South African. And on his way to golf immortality, he made enemies. Tom Watson and Johnny Miller to name two of them, both accusing him of infractions. And Player gives his own side of things. Along the way, he won nine major titles and was a member of the Big Three, along with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. The Contents are: Foreword by Arnold Palmer; I Know You Can Hear Me; It's Never Over Till It's Over; The Big Three... and Other Heroes; The Watson Affair and Other Skirmishes; I Can Do All Things; Vivienne; The Man in Black; A Crisis of Confidence; The Luckier I Get; The Lighter Side; He's My Brother; No Pain No Gain; My Kingdom for a Horse; Secrets of a Horse Trader; The Fruits of Success; The Evolution of a Golf Swing; The Secrets of a Great Golf Course; and Onwards; followed by an Appendix: Gary Player US Tour Career Earnings; Gary Player US Seniors Tour Earnings; The Dominant Years of the Big Three; Gary Player in the Majors - Top Ten Finishes; Gary Player in the Seniors; Notable Wins; Golf Courses Designed by Gary Player; Other Achievements; Victory Records; Miscellaneous Records; and an index.. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. 8vo.