Gary player body issue

Gary player body issue, Apparently ESPN magazine didn’t have to ask Gary Player twice to strip down for its fourth annual “Body Issue.”

At 77, the golf legend sounds downright proud of his birthday suit. (And it’s seen a LOT of birthdays.) He’s the oldest athlete to be featured in the body-baring issue.

Other athletes who stripped down this year include Wizards point guard John Wall, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, WNBA star Swin Cash, beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings, Scottish golfer Carly Booth, snowboarder Elena Hight and Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton.

“I was at first hesitant, but ‪@ESPNmag's Body Issue celebrates the human body. No matter what your age, we should all look after ourselves!” Player tweeted about his appearance in the mag, which hits newsstands July 12.

Player, who earned the nickname Mr. Fitness in the 1950s and is known to do 1,000 sit-ups a day, tells TMZ that he didn’t do anything special to prepare for his photo shoot in Miami a few weeks ago.

“I was already relaxed, tanned and ready to go,” he tells TMZ.

The athletes are naked in the photos, but strategically placed props hide the naughty bits.

Not sure how much a putter could hide, but whatever.

“I know I'm no Olympic athlete but have worked hard to look after myself. Hopefully ‪@ESPNMag Body Issue will inspire others to do the same,” Player tweeted.

(And we’re sure his paycheck will come in handy should he lose a $1 million claim against him by his former caddie and biz partner over an unpaid loan.)

Golf Digest reminds us that Player is hardly the first golfer to strip down for a provocative pose.

In June 2004, Golf Digest’s feature on “The New Athlete Golfer,” was illustrated by a racy portrait of the UCLA men’s golf team – full monty, but holding well-placed buckets of balls.

Note to self: Subscribe to Golf Digest.