Marcos Denies ‘Crude Lies’--That He Cheats at Golf

Exiled Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos, whose war heroism and financial dealings are under close scrutiny, has denied in an angry letter to a Manila newspaper that he cheats at golf.

Columnist Dindo Gonzalez of the Business Day newspaper had accused Marcos of signing false golf scores to lower his handicap.

Marcos accused Gonzalez of spreading “crude lies about my golf” and told him to improve his grammar.

Gonzalez, 68, who has played golf for 54 years and written golf columns since 1938, today gave Reuters a copy of Marcos’ hand-written note--on stationary labeled “Office of the President, Republic of the Philippines.”

Gonzalez, who often played with Marcos before and after he became president, said that the deposed leader’s caddies and bodyguards frequently kicked the ball into the fairway from the rough and that he signed cards with false scores.

Five Under Par

He said that on Dec. 3, 1978, Marcos played with four others at the exclusive Manila Golf and Country Club and returned a card of five under par 30 on the front nine, a score only international professionals can hope to achieve.

The score card is still on display at the club.

In his reply to Marcos today, Gonzalez wrote of the famous score: “You (Marcos) should have turned pro there and then.”

Gonzalez added: “His reputation as a low handicap player started circulating around the world when he became president.

“After his first putt and (if) the ball was, say, a club length away from the hole, he was given the putt since he was the president.”

Tacit Approval

He said Marcos’ caddies lowered the president’s score with his tacit approval.

Gonzalez told Reuters that, during games at the presidential palace golf course, he found to his astonishment that balls hit into the rough by Marcos were always found lying on a nice lie and were sometimes kicked by bodyguards toward the green.

Marcos said in his letter: “You cannot have said that I cheat in golf and do not pay my ‘indebtedness.’ But if you did write it at least improve the grammar if you cannot improve the style.”