Tour chief puts foot in it trying to calm racism row

The Sergio Garcia racism row took a bizarre twist yesterday with European Tour chief executive George O’Grady having to apologise following a racist reference when discussing the Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods controversy.

A day earlier, both O’Grady and PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem accepted Garcia’s unreserved apology following the Spaniard’s “fried chicken” comment during last Tuesday night’s gala European Tour Players Award dinner.

However, during the first round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, O’Grady soon found himself having to also issue an unreserved apology after rekindling the controversy between Garcia and Woods in referring to black Americans as “coloured athletes”.

“It’s very unfortunate and we are in the middle of it, but we made a statement that both together with commissioner Tim Finchem from the PGA Tour we spoke to Sergio and after what was really a very full and frank discussion on the whole issue that we’d accept his really heartfelt apology and we were convinced that he was trying to be funny — that it was a light-hearted remark,” said O’Grady on Sky TV.

“We know the connotation in the United States. We accept all races on the European Tour, we take it very strongly. Most of Sergio’s friends are coloured athletes in the United States and he is absolutely abject in his apology and we accepted it.

“We are aware of his arguments and his discussion with Tiger Woods which really quite frankly has no real place either, he accepts that.

“Tiger himself has made remarks. He’s said it’s time to get on and play golf and we want to get on with our flagship event which is set up so well this week.

“There’s absolutely no coziness about this at all. We take it very seriously, as does he. He has convinced us just how seriously he takes it and that’s why we’ve had to draw a line under this thing. Any hint of this sort of feeling has no place on the European Tour.”

O’Grady has been at the helm of the European Tour for eight years, and no sooner had he made the comments than a European Tour media official made the announcement: “Play has been halted due to a dangerous situation.”

However, it was in reference to the threat of an electrical storm in the region.

Some 40 minutes later, the European Tour issued a one-line statement from O’Grady that read: “I deeply regret using an inappropriate word in a live interview for Sky Sports for which I unreservedly apologise.”