Gary Player’s son ignites controversy
The emotional opening moments of the 2021 Masters were not without controversy.
Lee Elder, the first black man to compete in a Masters, was one of the ceremonial starters Thursday at Augusta National, alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. But it is one of Player’s sons who caused an uproar by seemingly promoting his dad’s golf ball while Elder was being honored.
Wayne Player, serving as Gary’s caddie, could be seen sliding a sleeve of balls into view in the background while Elder was being praised by Augusta chairman Fred Ridley. Wayne Player held the sleeve up throughout most of the cherished tradition.
“The only thought from that point was that it would be cool for fans to know what ball my dad was teeing off with,” Wayne told Golf Digest.
“That’s where it ends. If I’ve hurt people’s feelings, then I’m truly sorry and hope they will forgive me.”
The drama did not end there, however. Marc Player, who is reportedly estranged from Wayne, claimed his brother is now banned from Augusta.
“Wayne has since correctly been banned from Augusta National and The Masters tournament,” Marc tweeted Monday in response to CBS Sports’ Kyle Porter. “What a shame. What an embarrassment. What a bad decision to allow him on the first tee after years of similar shenanigans. My apologies to all.”
Wayne Player spent five nights in jail in 2019 in Georgia after being arrested on fraud charges. Player had allegedly tried to rent a house in 2018 near Augusta, and the $2,000 check he used bounced.
OnCore, the ball Wayne was promoting, disavowed his actions in a statement to Golf Digest.
“We did not ask or instruct Mr. Player to have our ball sleeve visible during the ceremony and are sorry if his actions caused any offense or was a distraction from the wonderful recognition being paid to Mr. Elder,” OnCore CEO Keith Blakely said.