'Racist' dinner jokes mar build-up to The Open

A high-ranking member of golf's governing body, the Royal & Ancient, was under pressure to resign last night after delivering a speech peppered with racist jokes at a prestigious dinner to mark the start of The Open Championship.

Graham Brown, a member of the R&A's rules of golf committee, was guest speaker at the Association of Golf Writers' (AGW) dinner, an annual event ahead of the most respected golf tournament in the world.

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However, Mr Brown, who was attending the dinner in a private capacity, shocked the gathering with a speech described by those listening as "offensive and racist". He joked about Japanese players all looking the same, referring to them as "Nips", and about a black taxi driver in a Deep South accent. Diners were left with their heads in their hands as he launched into another ill-judged story about a deaf golfer playing against an opponent with a cleft palate. "He went down like a lead balloon," said one guest. "It was like a Bernard Manning tribute night," said another.

Guests complained that some of the jokes were racist, but the R&A's chief executive, Peter Dawson, insisted yesterday that Mr Brown would not be asked to resign. "This was a private dinner," Mr Dawson said. "Graham was a guest invited in a private capacity and was speaking as such. He was in no way representing the R&A. We know Graham Brown very well and I can say absolutely that he is certainly not a racist.

"I have spoken to him today. He is horrified at learning the effects or the impact of some of his remarks. He accepts that his comments were ill-judged and he apologises unreservedly... for any offence he has caused."

Martin Kippax, the chairman of the R&A's championship committee, added: "Graham Brown is a very good golfer; he's a very knowledgeable individual with regards to the rules of golf. He's a very useful member of our rules of golf committee. What happened last night is something that is quite independent.

"I think it was a mistake, and he would say so. But I don't think that it makes him incapable to be a valued member of our committee. I think he realises the error of his ways, if I can put it that way, and apologised unreservedly... As far as we're concerned, that is the end of the matter."

Mr Brown's gaffe-strewn performance is expected to feature on front pages across Scotland today, while the AGW was yesterday forced to make an apology over the comments. "The AGW regrets that offence was caused... and apologises unreservedly to the guests of the association and its members," it said.

Given that Tiger Woods - the world's No 1 golfer and a major black sporting icon - is aiming for a third successive Open, Mr Brown's remarks were reminiscent of Fuzzy Zoeller's infamous comments about Woods serving fried chicken and collard greens at the 1997 US Masters.

Woods has played a pioneering role in attracting fans to the game from all sectors of society, helping golf to shed its old-fashioned, sexist and in some cases prejudiced image. Mr Brown's remarks have attracted the wrong kind of attention on a day when the sport wanted to portray a positive image.