Gary Player has been attending the Champions Dinner since 1962, but tonight will stand out for the three-time Masters Tournament champion.

South Africans Trevor Immelman (left), last year's Masters champion, and Gary Player have a laugh on the first tee during the first practice round at Augusta National Golf Club. (Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff)

After 47 years, Player will finally welcome a fellow South African to the table. Even more, Player will get to step up and introduce Trevor Immelman to the rest of the fraternity.

"That's going to be a big thrill for me," Player said. "I asked Ben Crenshaw if he will let me introduce him at the Masters dinner, because I know so much about him. It's going to be a big thrill for me to see him join us at that illustrious club."

Player has been a mentor to Immelman since his protege was 5. He's been a big part of Immelman's experience at Augusta, playing a practice round and the tournament rounds in 1999 with his countryman when he debuted as an amateur and giving him an emotional pep talk before last year's final round.

Player empathizes with the emotions the 29-year-old Immelman will have this week as he becomes oriented as a member in one of the most exclusive clubs in golf.

"I can understand how he'll feel because I won it when I was a very young man," said Player, who was 25 when he won his first green jacket. "I walked into that locker room with Ben Hogan and Sam Snead and Byron Nelson and Jimmy Demaret and Gene Sarazen and Cary Middlecoff and Jackie Burke ... you can go down the line. I remember how it felt and I'm sure it's going to feel the same for him."

Immelman has been imagining himself in that room with Player, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Billy Casper, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. The dinner will be his welcome to the club.

"I think that evening will probably end up being the highlight of the week for me," Immelman said. "To be able to rub shoulders with such great champions and be a part of such a great fraternity of champions is going to be an incredible moment for me. That's something I've always dreamt of. Mr. Player has always told me great stories about spending time in the Champions Locker Room. I'm really excited to be a part of that."

Mark Immelman -- who teaches his brother and 1987 champion Larry Mize -- says the thought of his little brother with all those legends stirs a little envy.

"I've got these two Masters champions," Mark Immelman said. "Larry comes to see me a couple days after the Masters and says, 'Well done, I'm proud of you boys and tell Trevor well done.' And then he says, 'Tell Trevor I'm looking forward to dinner next year.' And I said to him, 'You guys are like the coolest fraternity in the world. I can only imagine going to that dinner.'

"If Trevor is anything like me, he'll probably be crying. It is going to be very meaningful, and the entire night is probably going to be one of those dream events. ... I want to send a Dictaphone with him."

Player said Monday that Immelman will be serving a traditional South African dish called bobotie -- a spiced minced meat pie -- and melk toast .

Player had hoped Immelman might share a locker with him at Augusta National, but the club prefers to keep two active players from being crammed into the same space. Because Player won't retire from Masters play until the end of this week, Immelman shares a locker with Nick Faldo.