So to summarize the case against Gary Player,
There are accusations of cheating once in a British Open, with no evidence at all, nor, with a six shot lead, any motive.
There is a dispute between two players, the only two witnesses, regarding an alleged rules infraction. There was no official decision on the matter to say the infraction had occured. It was one man's word against the other.
Tom Watson says, "You've been doing this stuff for years.", and this is admitted as evidence pointing towards Player's guilt.
What was Player's counter-accusation against Watson that reflects poorly on his character?
Now the people on the Tour who tell stories about Player's misdeeds are two, Calcavecchia and Watson.
This is character assassination through rumor and insinuation, which in my opinion reveals poor judgement and a flawed morality.
Steve,
It is not rumor or insinuation to state that Tom Watson formally accused Gary Player of knowingly violating a rule. That happened. It is a fact and was widely reported at the time.
I found some interesting articles all from reputable sources and writers. One in fact supports Gary Player and confirms that more than one person was there and at least one other person claims to have seen the lie of the ball and feels Gary got a raw deal.
But, Tom did not back down and continued his accusation the next day with the referee Joe Dey.
Gary "responded" years later in a book by suggesting at least some of Watson's major wins were with wedges that had illegal grooves. More recently, Player also chimed in and claimed current golfers have used steroids to aid their games.
Below are the three different articles:
(BTW my pointin all of this is to defend myself and others like me who have been accused of character assasination through rumour and innuendo. I have not said whether I believe Tom or Gary only that it was a legitimate issue and was brought up by a respected champion of the game and widely reported on):
"(David) Abell...soon settled into life away from competition as director of golf at Gary Player CC in Sun City. He found himself a witness to controversy as Player's caddie in the inaugural Skins Game in 1983. Tom Watson accused Player of having attempted to reposition a "growing live weed root" next to his ball prior to playing a pivotal chip shot on the 16th hole. Player claimed he hadn't broken a rule.
"I've always thought Watson was wrong, that Gary was wrongly accused of cheating," says Abell. "I got to the ball first, and Gary asked me, 'What kind of lie do I have?' I said, 'You've got the perfect lie to hit the shot you need.' The ball was sitting on a patch of clover. It was sitting way up. Watson was totally off-base in this instance."
Golf Digest interview
"Even golf -- golf??? -- is being dragged into the steroid debate. Last week, nine-time major champion Gary Player claimed he had been told by a fellow player that he had taken steroids and knew of at least 10 other players who had done the same thing. Player claimed he had been sworn to secrecy by the player which means, if he agreed to stay silent, he should have kept his big mouth shut. Now, by not naming the player and alleging there are at least 10 others, he casts doubt on just about everyone playing on the PGA Tour.
Player should either have named a name or said nothing. The irony in this is not lost on most players on tour: Tom Watson once accused Player -- to his face -- of being a cheat.
John Feinstein
Special to the Washington Post
"We have this column from Dave Anderson of the Times about a cheating scandal at the Skins Game," he said, not sounding especially imbued by Thanksgiving weekend spirit. "Know anything about it?" I knew nothing and suggested to my boss that he print Anderson's piece next to my rather lame epistle about birdies and bogeys. I then hung up and phoned Dave's room. "I have indigestion, and it wasn't the burrito," I said. "I just lucked into it," Anderson said, almost apologetically. "I didn't even tell Radosta."
Now, understand that getting scooped at a Skins Game wouldn't normally rank among one's greatest career fears, but at least my misery was accompanied. "I got one of those Monday-morning wake-up calls, too," said Jenkins, on assignment for Sports Illustrated. "Dave also got me." But such is the essence of Anderson's genius. Without pounding his fist, hosting his own radio program or blogging 24/7, Anderson does it the old-fashioned way. He goes the extra mile for a story, although his Skins Game trip was a short one along a dirt road. "I wanted to find Player after it was over," Anderson recalled. "I turned a corner, and there was Watson saying, 'I'm accusing you, Gary. You can't do that. I'm tired of this. I wasn't watching you, but I saw it.' "
Alas, Watson thought Player had removed a rooted leaf resting against his ball on the 16th hole at Desert Highlands. Player made par there for a halve, then birdied the 17th for a carryover jackpot of $ 150,000. Player insisted "the piece of grass stayed where it was" after he investigated to see if it was a loose impediment. "When they saw me, they weren't too thrilled," Anderson went on. "I remember Tom saying something like, 'Dave, you're not going to write this, are you?' I told him that was my job."
Anderson's bombshell created quite a stir around the sports world, and when Watson was contacted the next day by a wire service, he did not back down. He expanded on his complaint lodged with Joe Dey, the referee at the match, and reiterated his belief that Player knowingly had violated a rule. Subsequently, Player wrote a book in which he branded Watson "too dour" and alleged that Watson won a couple majors with illegal clubs.
Bob Verdi
Golf Digest