The sale of Gary Player’s Claret Jug from winning the 1974 British Open is being contested by… Gary Player.
As reported on Monday, Golden Age Auctions sold a replica Claret Jug, which had been purchased by Player’s company, Black Knight International, and had been on display at its office – first in Palm Beach, Florida, and later at The Cliffs in South Carolina. It has been auctioned for the sum of $481,068. The auction attracted 39 bids in all, with the high bidder exceeding the previous bid by $80,000.
Player earned the trophy for his wire-to-wire win at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club, his third triumph at the British Open in a Hall of Fame career that included nine major titles.
Player read several of the stories noting the sale of the jug, a 90 percent-sized replica version of the original given to the champion for permanent keeping. It had been in the custody of Player’s design company until a previous sale during COVID-19 and controlled by his son, Marc, his ex-manager. The two had a falling out several years ago that ended up in the courts with Gary Player awarded $5 million in a legal dispute over unpaid royalties. In 2022, he filed a separate lawsuit against son, Marc, and grandson, Damian, alleging they had sold or tried to sell memorabilia despite an agreement requiring the items be returned.
“I feel that it is necessary for me to correct inaccuracies contained in those articles,” Player wrote in a post on X, the former Twitter. “Neither of the 1974 Masters Trophy nor the 1974 Open Trophy were sold by me or by one of my companies. Each of these trophies was granted to me for my sole use and enjoyment as winner of the respective majors. 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. My legal team is taking appropriate steps to resolve this unlawful situation.”
Player issued a similar statement when the trophy was originally sold during a public auction in November 2020 for $143,020. The value of collectibles has exploded in recent years, and Player’s Claret Jug has turned a tidy profit for its owners.
“Unfortunately Mr. Player’s statements about the sale of replica trophies are not accurate. Shortly after the COVID pandemic began, Gary Player’s company had serious cash flow issues and reached out to a number of auction houses to sell its collection of replica trophies in order to meet payroll,” Ryan Carey, President of Golden Age Auctions said in a statement provided to Golfweek. “Golden Age then facilitated a private transaction between Gary Player’s Black Knight International company and a private buyer. The net proceeds of this sale were paid directly to Gary Player’s Black Knight International. The private buyer then sold some of the trophies, including this exact same replica 1974 Claret Jug at public auction in November 2020. Mr. Player was well aware of those sales back in 2020, and he was aware of them when he made these contradictory statements today.
“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.”
The sale this week marks the fourth time the replica trophy has been sold – twice publicly and twice privately. The latest owner of Player’s trophy has not been revealed.
Marc Player wrote in a direct message that the latest sale “has absolutely nothing to do with me” and while stating he had no “official” comment, he noted, “I find it rather strange that my father would contest it as he already sold his original Grand Slam trophy collection to Johann Rupert in South Africa [and on display there at Leopard Creek]. Perhaps best to reach out to whomever sold it for proper provenance.”
— GARY PLAYER (@garyplayer) August 1, 2024