Nine-time major winner Gary Player says his estranged child is selling treasured items, including trophies he won during his illustrious career, without his permission.
Player, the South African golf icon who became the only non-American to claim a grand slam during his decorated career, issued a statement on Monday claiming his son was selling memorabilia of his without his permission.
It came with the headline: “A statement on the unauthorized sale of Gary Player trophies & memorabilia.”
“I would like to draw the public’s attention to the fact that several trophies and other pieces of memorabilia that form part of my legacy have been put up for sale by my son and ex-manager, Marc,” said the 86-year-old South African.
“These items belong to me and I have taken action to recover them. I have placed no items for sale – whether by auction or otherwise.”
Marc Player was his father’s manager before they fell out.
It’s not the first time Player has had items of his listed for sale.
In November, 2020, American memorabilia site Golden Age Golf Auctions listed eight trophies, including his original Masters winning trophy from 1978 and four senior major trophies, listed too.
Nor is it the first time Player’s children have come under fire either.
At last year’s Masters at Augusta, his son Wayne was issued a lifetime ban after promoting his golf balls while caddying for his father.
His brother Marc also hit out at the incident, while saying it was “embarrassing” and followed a number of other “shenanigans”.
Wayne Player later described the incident as “tacky”.
“Well, they say there’s no such thing as bad publicity. I found that that’s not quite true,” Wayne Player told Golf Digest.
“I had probably 50 texts after that, 40 of them said I’m a marketing genius, 10 were like, ‘What the hell were you thinking?’ It wasn’t premeditated, but it was a tacky thing.”
Player was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. He won 160 times worldwide, including 24 PGA Tour wins. He won nine majors, including three Masters titles, three Open championships, two PGA Championships and one US Open.
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