Gary Player to take legal action over trophy sale

Golfer Gary Player is taking legal steps after the replica Claret Jug he received for winning the 1974 British Open was sold at an auction without his knowledge, the golfing great said. According to Golden Age Auction's website, Player's replica Claret Jug from his 1974 triumph at Royal Lytham & St Annes in England was sold on 28 July to an unnamed bidder for nearly $500 000, reports City Press. But Player, who counts three British Open titles among the nine majors he won during his career, said he was not behind the auction of the Claret Jug or his 1974 Masters Tournament Trophy that Golden Age's website shows sold in 2021 for $523 000. ‘The person entrusted with ensuring the safekeeping of these items on my behalf and who was tasked with using them to enshrine my golfing achievements has done the opposite by offering them for sale without my consent and against my wishes,’ Player (88) said in a statement posted on X. My legal team is taking appropriate steps to resolve this unlawful situation.' Golden Age rejected Player's statement. ‘While Golden Age has the utmost respect for what Mr Player accomplished as a golfer, his inaccurate statements are simply not acceptable under any circumstances,’ Golden Age president Ryan Carey said in a statement to Reuters.