Wayne Player, son of legendary golfer Gary Player, has been banned from Augusta and future Masters events after his attempted marketing stunt during last week's championship.
As his father joined Jack Nicklaus and Lee Elder on Thursday for the ceremonial tee-off at the Masters, Wayne Player, acting as his father's caddie, spent the ceremony holding a packet of golf balls in his hand.
Only a matter of days after Japan's Hideki Matsuyama won his first green jacket in Augusta, Georgia, it has now been claimed that Player's stunt has proven costly.
Gary Player kicks up his leg after hitting a ceremonial first tee shot during the first round of the Masters golf tournament on Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)Although no official announcement has been made, Marc Player, another of Gary Player's sons, appeared to confirm in a tweet that his brother Wayne had been banned.
When CBS golf writer Kyle Porter contrasted the disparity of Wayne's brash marketing ploy and champion Hideki Matsuyama's caddie Shota Hayafuji bowing on the last green, Marc Player responded.
"Wayne has since correctly been banned from Augusta National and The Masters tournament," he tweeted.
"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."
OnCore, the brand of golf balls held up while Gary Player was participating in the ceremony, also released a statement distancing themselves from the stunt.
"We are aware of the criticisms that have been raised as a result of our product being displayed by Wayne Player at this morning's ceremonial tee shot at the Masters, most specifically during the introduction of Lee Elder, one of golf's trailblazers," chairman and CEO Keith Blakely wrote.
"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."
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