Player makes her day

The rain would not stop 93-year-old Connie McCrindle from seeing an old friend at Newport Beach Country Club Wednesday.

McCrindle, a Corona del Mar resident and native of South Africa, knew her favorite golfer, Gary Player, would be teeing off for his pro-am round at the 10th hole at 12:30 p.m. This was her chance to reunite with the golfing great who also hails from South Africa.

Every time McCrindle hears that her friend is playing close by, she’ll come to watch, even if it’s raining. This time, she had her daughter, Valerie Kircher, pushing her in a wheelchair at Newport Beach Country Club. McCrindle had a quick bite of a hot dog and a drink of wine before getting a hug from Player. She then smiled in yet another photo with him.

“I call her the bionic chick,” a smiling Player said of McCrindle. “Always pleasant. It was raining on the first tee and she was smiling and she’s in a wheelchair. At 93. That’s the example of love, of courage, of appreciation. She is something special. Every year I look for her.”

Last year’s meeting of the two South Africans was just as dramatic. Though there wasn’t any rain, McCrindle thought she had missed out on her chance to speak with Player as he was headed down the fairway after his tee shot. But after Player received word that McCrindle was there to watch, he ran back to where she was to hug her and have a conversation.

“Such a wonderful man,” McCrindle said. “He’s very kind.”

McCrindle said she first met Player when he was the guest speaker in 1961 at an event for the company she worked for, United Fruit Company, which is famous for producing bananas. That’s also the fruit the two share in common as their favorite, she said.

“I’ve had a banana every day of my life since I was a baby,” McCrindle said.

When McCrindle heard Player speak she instantly became a fan, and followed the legendary golfer’s career. There was plenty to follow. The Hall of Famer has 24 PGA Tour victories, another 19 on the Champions Tour. The Black Knight, at 73, is still playing, competing at the 15th Toshiba Classic, much to the delight of McCrindle.

“This is a special day for her,” Kricher said of her mother.

It always is when McCrindle watches Player golf. At the 1996 Toshiba Classic, Kircher remembers Player inviting McCrindle to ride with him in his cart.

“Since my mother was born in South Africa — like Gary — the two chatted away about their homeland and even spoke a little Afrikaans to each other,” Kircher wrote in a letter, detailing the past. “I took [a] photo of the two of them and my mother sent it to Gary with a thank-you note. He kindly signed the photo and returned it to her where it sits proudly on display.”

There was also a time, at the annual Toshiba Classic breakfast, where Player was the keynote speaker and saw McCrindle.

“He said, ‘Where are you sitting?’ ” McCrindle said. “I told him, ‘over there,’ and he said, “That’s too far. You come sit close to me.’ ”

For Player, McCrindle is just not any ordinary fan. He recognizes her by her hat and recalls her nickname. When he sees her, he said a smile always comes to his face.

“Golf is a friend-making machine,” Player said. “It raises all this money for different charities. Golf is an incredible game.”