Golfer With A Conscience Thomas Steps Aside
(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) PERTH. A young golfer has turned down his life’s ambition of playing the 200,000dollar Carling tournament in Toronto—richest event in world golf. L. Thomas, aged 28, of Perth, is stepping aside because he broke the Australian Professional Golfers’ Association rules to qualify for the tournament His rival, R. Vines, of Queensland, will take his place. Earlier, Vines had led Thomas by points as seventh and last Australasian qualifier. Four tourneys had been played and only the New Zealand Open remained.
But the Australian P.GA. ordered all Australian professionals to play in the Coffs Harbour (Central New South Wales) tournament instead.
Thomas defied the order and went to New Zealand. His 60 points gained in the New Zealand Open put him at the top of Australasian qualifiers and relegated Vines to eighth.
The P.GA. reprimanded Thomas but did not suspend or fine him. "I thought everything was rosy,” Thomas said.
“It was something I had worked toward for a decade.
“But then I thought about it again and decided I’d rather live with a clear conscience.”
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19670301.2.209
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31307, 1 March 1967, Page 19
Word Count
183Golfer With A Conscience Thomas Steps Aside Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31307, 1 March 1967, Page 19
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.