Charlie Sifford’s Ace in the Hole: a $100,000 Lawsuit

The mystery of the missing sign at MountainGate Country Club took another dog-leg turn Monday, when veteran golfer Charlie Sifford announced he would file suit against organizers of the Johnny Mathis Senior PGA tournament that ended Sunday.

Sifford claims he was deprived of the $100,000 prize that was offered to the first professional to shoot a hole-in-one on the 168-yard, par-3 15th hole. Sifford accomplished the feat Friday, but not until after a sign announcing the prize had been removed from the tee area.

Gerald Roisman, a Hartford, Conn., lawyer who has represented Sifford for the past 18 months, said Monday that he and Sifford had met Sunday with Tom Hebert, the tournament director, and Bernie Jensen, president of BPJ Enterprises, the tournament’s producer, but had failed to reach a settlement.

Roisman said a decision would be made today on exactly what type of suit to file--breach-of-promise, misrepresentation or failure to act in good faith. No decision has been made on whether punitive damages would be sought in addition to the $100,000, Roisman said.

Neither Hebert nor Jensen could be reached for comment Monday night. However, Hebert earlier had said that plans to offer the prize had fallen through before the tournament, but that the sign had inadvertently been left in place.

“If it was a mistake, it should have been corrected before anyone teed off,” Sifford said Monday.

In addition to the $100,000, the prize also included a 1986 Buick. That was not withdrawn, and Roisman said Sifford will receive the car.