VIDEO: Ace Group Classic: With boundless energy, Gary Player presses on

NAPLES - Power failure and Gary Player don't belong in the same sentence, let alone the same room.

Yet when the electricity briefly failed during a press conference on Wednesday, the age-defying Player had to halt his thought, but not his sense of humor.

"I'll give you a mulligan," quipped the energetic 75-year-old World Golf Hall of Famer whose own power supply seemingly knows no end.

Fifty-three years have passed since Player won his first PGA Tour tournament. Player entered the winner's circle that day at the 1958 Kentucky Derby Open before some of his fellow comrades on the Champions Tour — such as Mark Calcavecchia, Bill Glasson and Bob Tway — were born.

These days Player still retains a vibrant stamina, which is on display this week at the ACE Group Classic in Naples.

"Gary seems to be endless," Champions Tour player Mark McNulty said. "He's always had so much energy. He loves the game of golf. For him, it's not a game, it's a living. He loves his living."

When Player entered the media area at the Quarry, he greeted its occupants with a hearty "good morning," penned his signature on the golf cap of volunteer Allen Wolf of Naples and then covered topics that ranged from duals against Arnold Palmer at the Masters to the quality of the Champions Tour to fitness in America.

Player is no longer a full-time figure on the Champions Tour, but Naples remains high on his playing agenda. The ACE Group Classic was one of just three Champions Tour events he played in 2010. This year marks his 23rd appearance in the 24-year-old tournament.

"All in all, the tournament has really been, I think, a big success," he said.

Player was the first to taste success in 1988 when he earned $45,000 for winning Naples' inaugural Champions Tour event, then known as the Aetna Challenge. Aside from battling Dave Hill, Player's memories from that one-shot victory don't extend very far.

"It went down the line, as all tournaments do, but that's all I remember," Player said.

The memory bank was sharper as he recalled some memorable Masters finishes.

Player remembered a stray tee shot on the 13th hole in the final round of the 1961 Masters that nearly cost him. He wanted to play his next shot down the 14th fairway, but the gallery wouldn't budge.

"I couldn't get the people to move," he recalled. "I was a young guy over here as a guest. If it was (Jack) Nicklaus, he would have sat on his bag and waited until they moved. I tried to chip it back on the (13th) fairway."

That strategy turned out to be a soggy one.

"It ran in the creek and I made double-bogey. Then I made six at 15," he said.

But Player still wound up donning the first of his three green jackets after Palmer made double-bogey on the final hole.

"It's funny how everybody remembers that, but they don't remember what he did to me the next year," Player said in reference to Palmer winning the Masters in a playoff after he tied Player with a late surge in the fourth round.

Player thought he had sewn up his second straight Masters when he had a two-shot lead with three holes left on Sunday. With Palmer in the fringe far from the cup on No. 16, Player was so sure of a victory that he told his caddie, "We've won because I know you cannot get down in two from there."

Player was right. Palmer didn't get down in two; he got down in one.

As far as the evolution of the Champions Tour, Player praised the quality of its members.

"The standard of play has probably been the most amazing thing I've seen in my career," he said. "How they come off the regular tour almost in the twilight of their golf and suddenly they get their mulligan. They recharge. They regenerate. They come out and start playing better than they played on the regular tour. That's the strange thing."

Long known for staying in terrific shape, Player, who believes obesity is America's biggest problem, is no stranger to workouts and exercise.

"Arnold and Jack used to think I was a bit of a nut when we used to travel," Palmer said. "I'd be going to the gym and squatting with 325 pounds and working out in the gym. In those days, nobody believed in it."

Decades have passed and the proof is still in the product.

"He can still make a 90 degree shoulder turn, which if you look at Jack or Arnold or some other fantastic players, they're not in the same physical category," said Champions Tour player and two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer.

Although his playing days have decreased, Player shows no signs of powering down.

"Hell, I'm 75. I'd beat 80 percent of American 20-year-olds in a fitness contest if you take them off the street," he said.