Tiger Woods Golf Ball From Famed 1997 Masters Win Sold at Auction

Woods gave the ball to a 9-year-old fan during the tournament, and he held on to it ever since.

Over the weekend, Golden Age Auctions held a special event where Masters memorabilia was sold, and one memorable item sold for $64,124.

Julian Nexsen was nine years old in 1997 when he was watching the tournament in person, and Tiger Woods handed him the ball he used after bogeying the fifth hole in the final round, according to the auction house. Woods went on to win the Masters for the first time in his career at 21 years old.

Nexsen held on to the ball and decided to put it up for auction, with the bidding starting at just $500. The sale price was reached after 53 total bids. 

“This ball comes with impeccable provenance. Unless Tiger himself or his caddie Fluff intentionally saved a ball from this historic final round (which we doubt), this may be the only confirmed golf ball from the final round of Tiger Woods’ first Major Championship victory,” the description of the ball read on the auction page.

It was the first of five Masters wins in Woods’s legendary career.