Auction house calls out Gary Player's 'inaccurate statements' in response to legal threat over Open Championship trophy sale

The replica Claret Jug that Gary Player won at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1974 was recently auctioned off by Golden Age Auctioneers. A few days later, the 9-time major champion issued a statement claiming that the sale had been made without his consent and that he would be taking legal action.

Gary Player's statement drew an immediate response from Ryan Carey, president of Golden Age Auctions. Carey called Player's statement "not accurate" and "not acceptable."

In his response, Ryan Carey reminded Gary Player that during the COVID-19 pandemic, his company Gary Player's Black Knight International was in financial trouble and the sale of his trophy collection was a way to pay its employees.

According to Carey, Golden Age Auction House brokered the sale of the trophies to a private collector. Included in the group was the 1974 Claret Jug replica. The golfer was fully aware of the transaction, according to Carey.

"The net proceeds of this sale were paid directly to Gary Player’s Black Knight International," Ryan Carey said. "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."

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What was Gary Player's statement?

Gary Player's statement, which prompted the response from Golden Age's president, was issued one day after the auction was announced. In his statement, Player claimed that the sale of the Claret Jug replica was made without his consent:

"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 referred in his statement to another replica, the Masters Tournament trophy he also won in 1974. This replica was sold by Golden Age in 2020 for $253,386. He claimed that this sale was also made without his consent.

The Claret Jug replica was sold to an unknown buyer who paid $481,068. The auction had a starting price of $5,000 and lasted 11 days with 39 bids.

The replica stands 19 inches tall, which is 90% of the height of the original trophy. According to Golf Digest, the names of every champion from 1975 to 2006 were added to the base.

The victory at the 1974 Open Championship was Player's third at the event and his eighth major championship. He would go on to win the Masters for the third time in 1978.

Player's career includes 159 professional wins, including 24 on the PGA Tour and 22 on the Senior Tour.