Wayne Player, son of golf legend Gary Player, is banned from the Masters.
In 2021, Wayne Player was the caddie for his father for the ceremonial tee shots that signal the start of the Masters Tournament.
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The traditional honorary starters, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, were joined by Lee Elder, in a tribute to Elder, the first Black golfer to play in the Masters in 1975.
During the ceremony, Wayne Player held up a branded sleeve of golf balls in a gorilla marketing attempt for which the Augusta National Golf Club banned him.
Lee Elder acknowledges the crowd before the honorary start of Thursday’s first round for the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Augusta, Georgia.
Gary Player has since said he wants to take his grandchildren to play Augusta National but the club will not let him.
“I have been an ambassador for Augusta for all these years, yet they won’t let me have one round of golf in my life with my three grandsons,” Player, a three-time Masters champion, told Golf Monthly. “My grandsons are dying to know about their grandfather’s episodes on that golf course. All the golf courses that have hosted the Open, the U.S. Open and the PGA would oblige, but they won’t do it at Augusta.
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Mark Calcavecchia kicked out at 2026 Masters for violating phone policy
Former British Open champion Mark Calcavecchia was removed from the Masters on April 7 for violating the tournament’s no-phone policy.
Augusta National Golf Club strictly prohibits patrons from bringing cell phones onto the course to maintain its traditional atmosphere.
In a phone call with Golfweek, Calcavecchia didn’t get into specifics, but also didn’t deny his removal from Augusta National.
“I’ve got nothing negative to say about Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters, so I think we should literally hang up right now,” Calcavecchia told Golfweek before ending the call.
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Contributing: Adam Schupak, Golfweek, Tom D’Angelo, Palm Beach Post
Kim Luciani is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s Audience team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Wayne Player is banned from the Masters. Here’s why
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