As a girl, I considered myself to be a fashionista on golf attire, so this should come as no surprise that when the first week of April rolls around, I thinking Masters’ fashion. The attire worn by the golfers during Masters week has gone from safe and classic to trendy and eye-catching. As the Masters Tournament gets on the way, I am happy to yield my title as a fashion expertise to the likes, of Ian Poulter and Camilo Villegas among others.

One thing that must not be forgotten, the newcomers to golf’s fashion arena did not oust their older golf pros colleagues, who have tried to showcase their persona by making fashion statement of their own. And with that in mind, one such player that comes to mind when I think of golf fashion is the late great and dapper Payne Stewart.

As a young golfer, there was not other pro golfer who caught mu attention. Payne was the epitome of class. He was that seeming mild mannered guy who had an almost perfect game, but his attire was something else to be reckoned with. Stewart was born in Springfield, Missouri, and attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. He was always popular with fans, especially for his clothing, and was reputed to have the biggest wardrobe of all professional golfers. He was a favorite of photographers because of his tam o’shanter caps and patterned trousers, which were a combination of plus fours and knickerbockers, a throwback to the once-commonplace golfing “uniform”.

So as I pay tribute to Payne Stewart as a fashion icon, I cannot help to think of the original man in black…Gary Player. Player is a unique golfer whose fashion choices can seem a bit rigid. He wears that signature black slacks and black shirt, Gary Player wearing black is like Tiger Woods’ signature red on Sunday. Player is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his last Masters win. He scored a final round 64, including seven birdies in his last 10 holes, for the 1978 title. Passing Arnold Palmer for the most Masters played at 51. He is a three-time Masters champion in 1961, 1974, 1978 runner-up in 1962 and 1965, and the Masters first international champion. Player holds three British Open titles, 1959, 1968 and 1974 and the 1965 US Open champion. He has snagged the 1962 and 1972 PGA championships. He is one of only five men to win golf’s modern grand slam and has won the South African Open 13 times. In addition he has won the South African PGA three times and won the Australian Open seven times. Recipient of the 1966 Bob Jones Award presented by the USGA for distinguished sportsmanship in golf. Player won a total of 24 PGA TOUR and 19 Champions Tour titles, winning a Tour event in five straight decades. He served as Captain of the international squad at the 2003, 2005 and 2007 Presidents Cup and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Playing in his 51 Masters, we can only wait and see if it will be more of the same - Man In Black.

The Masters tournament is a time when golfer fans around the world tune in to so see the movers and shakers – both up and coming and seasoned players. For me I listen for sound bites and track the fashion. Not a bad idea if you have a great game like I do.
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