Gary Player’s son Wayne Player was present at the 2021 Masters as the legendary Lee Elder joined Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player for the ceremonial tee shot.
When Lee Elder was taking his tee shot, Wayne stood right behind Elder with a box of OnCore golf balls in his hands. In hindsight, it appeared like an attempt to promote the golf balls, which created a huge uproar in the golfing world.
Along with the fans, even Jack Nicklaus was upset, revealed Player recently. “I understand why people took offense to it,” said Player. “Jack, the golden bear himself, told me, ‘What are you thinking?’ I said, ‘You know, Jack, you’re right.’ You have to be accountable when you mess up.”
Moreover, the Augusta National banned Player from the club as a strict measure for his golf ball promotion. While it was subtle, there was no mercy shown to the legendary golfer's son!
The honorary starters for the 2022 Masters were Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tom Watson. During the ceremonial tee shot, Gary Player wore a t-shirt with a Golf Saudi logo around his neck. Furthermore, currently, there are plenty of opinions going around about Greg Norman starting a rival league with the help of Saudis.
Wearing a tee with the Golf Saudi logo invited plenty of criticism moments after the ceremonial tee shots. However, the organizers did not consider this an offense, apart from criticism from the public.