[imagesource: US PGA Tour]
You’re looking at Gary Player and his son, Marc, above. That photo was taken back in 2006 during far happier times.
It’s no secret that their relationship has strained considerably since then, culminating in legal wrangling which resulted in Gary receiving a settlement of $5 million.
Marc previously managed his father’s businesses for more than two decades and started the Gary Player Group. Following that settlement ruling, he expressed sadness over his “deteriorated” relationship with his father.
Rather than patch things up, it appears the wounds have only deepened with Gary calling Marc out for what he says is an unauthorised sale of his memorabilia.
Gary took to social media on Monday:
A statement on the unauthorized sale of Gary Player trophies & memorabilia. pic.twitter.com/2tilBplJOL
— GARY PLAYER (@garyplayer) August 8, 2022
Just a day later, reports Sport24, the younger Player fired back:
…Marc, through his lawyer Darren Heitner, responded that his father’s claim to the admittedly unidentified items are “baseless” and “smacks of a continued petty effort by Gary’s advisors to besmirch Marc’s name and reputation wherever possible”.
Instead, he details his extensive efforts back in 2002 cataloguing over 300 items in conjunction with Christie’s London from Gary’s career.
“Many of these items were scattered around the world or not actually won by Gary Player but commissioned by Marc Player from artists or purchased from various other collectors,” the statement read.
Marc also claims the Christie’s Gary Player Collection, as he says it’s known, was sold years back because Gary was having problems paying his taxes.
The statement goes on to claim that Marc and Gary had actually agreed to split the proceeds if the Christie’s Gary Player Collection was ever sold, adding that Marc has still not received any compensation.
In essence, Marc says, “You cannot take back what no longer belongs to you.”
Over on social media, Marc has been retweeting a few choice comments aimed at his father.
One retweet calls out Gary for his dealings with Scottish-born, South African-based billionaire businessman Dave King:
Gary why do you hang around with the con man Dave king. ? A glib and shameless liar as one judge put it
— peopleschamp (@wonderstuffmac) August 9, 2022
Another focused on Gary’s close ties with Golf Saudi, in response to claims that the multiple major winner would never join the rebel LIV Tour if he played in the current era:
Gary Player is an official Golf Saudi ambassador. He already did.
— Tommy’s Burner (@easterbro2) August 8, 2022
Should we really be surprised that a man who was a big fan of segregation during Apartheid, and actively worked with the National Party government to try and curry favour with foreign countries, would have no qualms about partnering with Saudi Arabia?
I think not.
By the way, Marc’s not the only Player son with a story to tell. This via Golf:
Another one of Player’s sons, Wayne Player, was arrested over an incident involving a house rental at the 2018 Masters.
More recently Wayne Player created a controversy at the 2021 Masters when he noticeably displayed a sleeve of OnCore golf balls while serving as his dad’s caddie during the Masters honorary starter ceremony. He was removed from the grounds and banned from the tournament.
Stellar stuff, chaps.
At this point, you’d have to think that there’s very little chance of the 86-year-old and Marc ever patching things up.
