ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 17, 1994                   TAG: 9403170113
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short


PGA CHIEF REVEALS PURSE-SPLITTING PROBE

Professional golf is investigating the possibility of purse-splitting in unofficial events on the Senior PGA Tour. No players or tournaments were identified in a prepared statement issued by PGA commissioner Deane Beman in Orlando, Fla. Purse-splitting is the pre-arranged sharing of purse money won by two or more players.

"To conduct the investigation, the PGA Tour has engaged a special outside counsel, who to date has found no evidence that the regular PGA Tour is involved in any way," Beman said. "For now, it appears that the alleged irregularities are limited to unofficial events on the Senior PGA Tour."

Most tournaments are classified as official events. Unofficial events listed on the Senior Tour schedule include the Senior Skins Game, Senior Slam of Golf, the Chrysler Cup (a U.S. team vs. an international team) and the DuPont Cup Japan vs. United States matches.

Beman, who said information concerning purse-splitting came to his attention "in the last few days," declined to identify the special counsel.

Keywords:
GOLF



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