In case anyone needed more evidence that Gary Player is the fittest 78-year-old on the planet, Michelle Wie provides it in a Golf Digest article.
The 24-year-old Wie writes about her experience as a pro, which includes random meetings with golfing legends like Player and Jack Nicklaus. At one event, she writes, Player had an unusual request.
"Out of the blue he says, "Michelle, hit me in the stomach." I didn't want to punch him, so I kind of poke him instead. He says, "No, I want you to really hit me!" He widens his stance and clenches his stomach. Now I really hit him. I'm no fighter, but I hit him as hard as I could. It hurt my hand. It didn't faze him. He pointed to his stomach and said, "A thousand sit-ups a day" and kept walking."
Who says golfers are out of shape?
In case you didn't know, Player is somewhat of a workout freak who has toned his rock-hard abs by doing 1,000 situps and pushups every morning. The nickname "Mr. Fitness" could not be more fitting.
Player showed off his physique in ESPN The Magazine's body issue, where he was the oldest athlete ever to pose for the yearly feature.
Wie is no slouch when it comes to training, either, so the fact that she hurt her hand when she punched Player is likely more a testament to player's abs than Wie's strength.
For more of Wie's observations from her years on the LPGA tour, see here.
