Golf Professionals "Going It Alone”

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31763, 21 August 1968, Page 15

Golf Professionals "Going It Alone”

CA’.Z. Press Association —Copyright)

NEW YORK.

The touring golf professionals who play before millions of television viewers each week, announced the formation yesterday of the American Professional Golfers, the New York Times News Service reported.

The action followed a split last week with the 52-year-old parent organisation, the Professional Golfer’s Association of America.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes and television contracts are involved.

Mr Samuel Gates, attorney for the players, indicated that the dissidents would not boycott the remaining 10 major events this year. He said, however, that sponsors had contacted him about 1969 dates and that the new organisation would soon sign contracts with them.

Just what action, if any, the P.G.A. will take against the dissidents was not clear. Mr Mae Elbin, president of the P.G.A., said letters were being sent to 280 touring professionals asking them which organisation they would support. He implied that some might forfeit their rights to play if they broke P.G.A. regulations. "The P.G.A. has made millionaires of some of these men,” Mr Elbin said at a news conference. “We intend to continue our tour. It may be tough at first, but we have developed young players and will continue to do so.” However, Mr Gates said he was certain that the unanimity of agreement in the playing ranks assured success of the new group. Last Thursday, an organisation committee consisting of J. Nicklaus, G. Dickinson, F. Beard, D. Ford, B. Goalby,

W. Casper, L. Hebert, D. Marr, J. Berber, R. Rosburg, K. Zarley, D. Eichelberger and D. Sikes had urged him to complete plans for the organisation as quickly as possible. A New York headquarters is to be set up and an 11-rnan board of directors will have four members “chosen from the general public,” as well as a president and vicepresident. Nicklaus, Dickinson, Ford and Beard were the four representatives of the players on the eight-man tournament

committee of the P.G.A. until it was abolished last Friday.

The P.G.A. announced that the executive committee was taking over management of the ssm tour. J. Black, a Dallas professional, who is interim tour manager, said yesterday that a new tournament committee, responsible only to the executive committee, would have representatives from the players, sponsors and business group. The P.G.A. committee had consisted of four players and four officers. Mr Gates said he would listen if the P.G.A. wished to “make overtones” to settle the dispute. “We are not going to stand in the way of the P.G.A. having its own tour,” he added.