Jane Blalock v. Ladies Professional Golf Association

After reaching the status of "top money winner on this year's [LPGA] tour," Blalock was competing in the Bluegrass Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky by mid May 1972. After the second round the LPGA executive board called Blalock in to tell her she was disqualified from the tournament, contending that she signed an incorrect scorecard and also levying a $500 fine.[16] Although Blalock's scorecards had been signed and attested by fellow competitors, Tourney director Gene Mcauliff stated that Blalock "did not mark her ball properly on the 17th green and then failed to take a two-stroke penalty as required for that infraction."[2]

All five members of the executive committee, Linda Craft, Sharon Miller, Judy Rankin, Cynthia Sullivan, and Penny Zavichas, were themselves active players.[17] After Blalock's initial interaction with the committee at the Bluegrass Invitational, 27 LPGA players signed an affidavit demanding "that more severe action be taken against Jane Blalock,"[18] specifically arguing that probation, a fine, and disqualification from the Bluegrass tournament were not enough punishment.[3]

On May 20, 1972[4] the LPGA executive board suspended Blalock for one year "for actions inconsistent with the code of ethics of the organization."[19] The suspension came shortly after the announcement that Blalock wouldn't be allowed to compete in the Lady Carling Open. The tour also put a hold on her money earnings from the tour, at the time around $50,000.[20]

In defending their reasons for the suspension, the board stated in a press release that "the action was taken after Miss Blalock met with the executive committee on three occasions in the last 10 days. She admitted actions on the golf course which are contrary to the rules of the game."[19] According to Sports Illustrated, the board also claimed that Blalock had "been under suspicion for over a year, that there [had] been repeated violations, that witnesses in the gallery at Louisville had observed her replacing the ball to the side of her marker on the green[21] and that Janie tearfully admitted to her guilt. Miss Blalock was denying everything."[16] LPGA executive director Bud Erickson also stated that he had requested Blalock to feign a back injury in an effort to avoid bad publicity, but she refused.[18]

On June 1, 1972, Blalock filed a $5 million antitrust lawsuit against the LPGA's suspension[22] on advice of her attorneys,[19] with the intent of "[leaving] it to the court whether she had been suspended wrongly."[16] Blalock's lawyers moved for her be allowed to continue playing while the suit was resolved.[22] As part of their argument, Blalock's lawyers denied she had ever admitted guilt to the LPGA,[3] stating that the described admissions had been a misinterpretation of her words.[17] Furthermore, based on the sequence of events, attorney Eugene Partain "alleged that the suspension and petitions were likely the result of other players attempting to remove a significant competitor, and that the act of suspending Blalock from playing in any significant tournaments was a violation of federal antitrust laws by the LPGA."[3]

Around June 19, Blalock met with the LGPA in U.S. District Court in Atlanta over the lawsuit.[16] Later that month U.S. District Court Judge Charles A. Moye Jr. granted the motion for Blalock to continue competing in the LPGA Tour until the lawsuit was resolved,[23] in effect creating a temporary restraining order against the suspension. Moye also ruled that any tour money Blalock earned during the case would be placed in a court trust. The LPGA reacted to Moye's rulings by announcing they would file an appeal suit.[21]

News of the suspension and alleged rules violation drew significant press coverage, as well as mixed reactions from Blalock's colleagues. Though he said he had never seen her move a ball against the rules himself, her former instructor Bob Toski stated that "She has a compulsion to win. I think she needs psychiatric help" and "the other players tell me this has been going on for a while." In contrast, Blalock's caddie from the Suzuki tournament contacted her with an offer to testify in her support.[16] Men's professional golfer Dave Hill, who himself filed an antitrust suit in 1971 against the PGA Tour,[24] sent Blalock a note of encouragement. In his golf memoir Teed Off, published in 1977, Hill wrote that he didn't know how Blalock continued to play well under the pressure she was enduring. The fact that Blalock did play well made Hill think she was innocent unless she was a victim of some illness.[25]

Golfer Sandra Palmer had also publicly defended Blalock as of July 8, 1972, after she and Blalock tied for lead at the George Washington Golf Classic. Stated Palmer to the press, "I've never seen her do anything [illegal], nor do I think probably that very many of the players have. I think supposedly that out of all these players who accused, only one or two have played with her." Palmer explained she didn't understand why bystanders hadn't reported the alleged infractions when they occurred, also pointing out that other players had always signed Blalock's scorecards without reporting any incidents. Stated Palmer, "if you see an infraction of the rules... you don't wait until three years later to report something. Once you've signed that card, you're as guilty as the person who committed the violation."[26]

The Sarasota Journal reported on June 28, 1972, that Sandra Palmer had been "warned" by the LPGA over her statements of support for Blalock, with the LPGA explaining to Palmer that "you're entitled to your own opinion, but when it hurts our members, we feel you owe the organization an apology."[27] Bud Erickson, executive director of the LPGA, later clarified that Palmer was also ordered "not to make any further statements of support for Miss Blalock."[28] The warning occurred as the tour arrived at the Lady Pepsi Golf Tournament, where Blalock had previously won two championships.[27] On August 2, 1972, Palmer was put on one year's probation by the LPGA executive committee for voicing her support of Blalock.[28] Blalock went on to win two more times in 1972, at the Dallas Civitan Open[29] and the Lady Errol Classic.[30]

After filing the original antitrust suit, Blalock amended the suit to include only damages from not being able to compete in the Lady Carling Tournament in 1972 for $4,500.[6]

In June 1973, Judge Charles Moye Jr. ruled that "LGPA players cannot police their own members." The ruling declared that Blalock's suspension "was ill-founded," with all remaining litigation to be focused on damages.[4] In September 1973, The Telegraph reported that as a result of the court ruling in Blalock's favor, the LPGA and their new president Carol Mann were looking to appoint a commissioner to "[enable] the association to penalize, suspend and fine members who violate rules and regulations."[32]

In August 1974, a court awarded Blalock the full $4,500 she had asked for in damages,[5] with the LPGA again announcing plans to appeal.[6] Afterwards, in March 1975, Judge Charles Moye again ruled in Blalock's favor, awarding her $13,500 in damages and ordering the LPGA to pay her legal fees of $95,303. The LPGA again announced it would appeal the ruling in its entirety.[5] Ray Volpe was appointed the first LPGA Commissioner on July 8, 1975,[7] and a month later the LPGA announced it had dropped its appeal and settled "all claims and counter claims growing from a dispute between it and golfer Jane Blalock."[8]