Oneida Nation leader withdraws before start of tribe's golf contest
Ray Halbritter, the federally recognized representative of the Oneida Nation of New York, withdrew from his tribe's upcoming golf tournament.

Halbritter, who qualifies as an assistant PGA pro, had been granted a sponsor's exemption for the Turning Stone Resort Championship. There had apparently been some complaints about his participation.

“My intention in qualifying to be eligible to play in our Turning Stone Resort Championship was to participate in a competitive opportunity which any golfer would enjoy, Halbritter said in a statement. "In addition, given the responsibilities of my position as I mentioned in some interviews on the exemption issue, I wanted to use the platform afforded by our event to show the public, particularly American Indian youth, what can be accomplished by someone with a challenging background who puts his mind and heart into it."

The tournament starts on Thursday. Notah Begay will be playing.

Get the Story:
Halbritter withdraws from Turning Stone Resort Championship field (The Oneida Dispatch 8/2)
Turning Stone Tourney week begins (The Oneida Dispatch 8/2)
Gavin Hall in, Halbritter out at Turning Stone (The Rome Observer 8/3)