FILE PHOTO: Golf - The Masters - Augusta National Golf Club - Augusta, Georgia, U.S. - April 5, 2023 South Africa's Gary Player chips onto the green on the first hole during the par 3 tournament REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
(Reuters) - 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 South African golfing great said on Thursday.
According to Golden Age Auction's website, Player's replica Claret Jug from his 1974 triumph at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in England sold on July 28 to an unnamed bidder for nearly $500,000.
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.
It was not immediately clear who Player's legal team will be approaching to resolve the issue.
Player's replica Claret Jug had a starting bid of $5,000 and it took 39 bids across 11 days before selling for $481,068.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Alison Williams)
