19th Hole

Tiger’s 1997 Masters ball fetches monstrous sum at auction

Published

3 years ago

Apr 12, 2023

Tiger Woods may have limped out of this years Masters, but golf memorabilia collectors still want a piece of the 15-time major champion.

In 1997, when still addressed by the media guide as Eldrick Woods, the then 21-year-old broke all records when becoming the tournament’s youngest champion and setting a record margin, coming home 12 strokes clear of Tom Kite.

After a bogey on the fifth hole – his first in over 36 holes – Tiger handed his Titleist #1 to then 9-year-old Julian Nexsen, who subsequently had the ball and associated items auctioned earlier this month. The lot, auctioned by Golden Age Auctions, saw the hammer come down at $64,124.40.

Photo courtesy of Golden Age Auctions

The auction site declared that Lot#5 of its Masters Week Auction came with “impeccable provenance,” claiming that, “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 victory, the first of five green jackets for the great man, was of more significance than even the stunning winning margin. It represented not only a higher level of golf than we had witnessed before, forced Augusta to look at Tiger-proofing the course and also had a huge social significance, encouraging many to take up the sport that may not have done so otherwise.

Golden Age Auctions explained how the ball came into the possession of the young fan.

“Our consignor, Julian Nexsen, was 9 years old in 1997. The Greenville, SC native was attending the 1997 Masters with his father and some family friends. They were stationed between the 5th green and 6th tee box as Tiger Woods was walking by during his final round. Tiger had just bogeyed the 5th hole – his first bogey in over 36 holes. As he walked to the 6th tee box, Tiger handed the young Julian Nexsen his golf ball – presumably retiring the one he just used to bogey hole #5.

The young boy was elated – Tiger Woods had just handed him a golf ball. Dozens of people witnessed Tiger Woods hand that golf ball to Julian Nexsen, including a reporter from the Washington Times. That reporter, Barker Davis, immediately came over and spoke to Julian Nexsen and his father. The next day, The Washington Times front page featured an article titled, “Tiger Woods completes rout at Masters”. In that article, Davis states:

After making his first bogey in 36 holes yesterday, Woods stopped on his way to the sixth tee to give a ball to 9-year-old Julian Nexsen of Greenville, S.C.”

“That reporter sent the young Nexsen a copy of that Washington Times newspaper, which his parents then shadow box framed with the Tiger Woods golf ball, his badge from the 1997 Masters Tournament, and a couple pairings sheets from the Sunday Final Round.

These items have been framed together ever since.

Adding to the provenance, the now 35-year-old Nexsen has graciously signed a legal Declaration in which he certifies under penalties of perjury as to the authenticity of this Tiger Woods 1997 Masters golf ball and the story of that Final Round interaction with Tiger Woods.”

In 2022, the auctions site attracted bids of over $5 million for a set of Tiger’s Grand Slam clubs and over $140k for a red shirt he wore during his 2010 Masters, his comeback tournament after several months away from the game and said by the auction company to be the “only Sunday red from a Masters Tournament that has been auctioned.”

Despite appearing in just five official tournaments since and including the 2022 Masters, and even with a best finish of tied-45th at Riviera, Tiger remains the one player that automatically moves every needle in the sport. That is the stuff of legend.

How much each player won at the 2026 Masters

Published

1 month ago

Apr 13, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Rory McIlroy made it two wins in as many years at Augusta National, seeing off the challengers on a dramatic Sunday to slip on the green jacket once again. The victory earned Rory a whopping payday of $4.5 million, with Scottie Scheffler his closest challenger earning $2.43 million for his sole runner-up finish.

With a total prize purse of $22.5 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 Masters tournament.

For players that did not make the cut, they still earned $25k for their efforts at the year’s opening major.

1: Rory McIlroy, $4.5 million
2: Scottie Scheffler, $2.43 million
T3: Tyrrell Hatton, $1.08 million
T3: Russell Henley, $1.08 million
T3: Justin Rose, $1.08 million
T3: Cameron Young, $1.08 million
T7: Collin Morikawa, $725,625
T7: Sam Burns, $725,625
T9: Xander Schauffele, $630,00
T9: Max Homa, $630,00
11: Jake Knapp, $562,500
T12: Jordan Spieth, $427,500
T12: Brooks Koepka, $427,500
T12: Hideki Matsuyama, $427,500
T12: Patrick Reed, $427,500
T12: Patrick Cantlay, $427,500
T12: Jason Day, $427,500
T18: Viktor Hovland, $315,000
T18: Maverick McNealy, $315,000
T18: Matt Fitzpatrick, $315,000
T21: Keegan Bradley, $252,000
T21: Ludvig Aberg, $252,000
T21: Wyndham Clark, $252,000
T24: Matt McCarty, $182,083
T24: Adam Scott, $182,083
T24: Sam Stevens, $182,083
T24: Chris Gotterup, $182,083
T24: Michael Brennan, $182,083
T24: Brian Campbell, $182,083
T30: Alex Noren, $146,250
T30: Harris English, $146,250
T30: Shane Lowry, $146,250
T33: Gary Woodland, $121,500
T33: Dustin Johnson, $121,500
T33: Brian Harman, $121,500
T33: Tommy Fleetwood, $121,500
T33: Ben Griffin, $121,500
T38: Jon Rahm, $105,750
T38: Ryan Gerard, $101,250
T38: Haotong Li, $96,750
T41: Justin Thomas, $92,250
T41: Sepp Straka, $87,750
T41: Jacob Bridgeman, $83,250
T41: Kristoffer Reitan, $78,750
T41: Nick Taylor, $74,250
46: Sungjae Im, $69,750
47: Si Woo Kim, $65,250
48: Aaron Rai, $61,650
T49: Corey Conners, $57,600
T49: Marco Penge, $57,600
51: Kurt Kitayama, $55,250
52: Sergio Garcia, $54,000
53: Rasmus Hojgaard, $52,650
54: Charl Schwartzel, $51,300

19th Hole

CBS’s Sunday Masters coverage slammed by golf fans

Published

1 month ago

Apr 13, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

While Sunday was a dramatic day at the Masters, many golf fans were left feeling frustrated by the CBS final round coverage.

There were plenty of moments that golf fans took to social media to air their frustrations on Sunday over, including a lack of shots being shown throughout the day, being behind the live action, confusion over the approach shots of the final group on 18, and providing an angle for the winning putt where the cup couldn’t be seen.

Here’s a look at some of the criticisms that were directed at the CBS coverage throughout the day on X:

This has been a brutal broadcast for CBS. When the folks from Augusta sit down with them this year, you can bet they’ll talk about this 15 seconds where we have no idea where Rory’s ball went, and Dottie moans. #TheMasters pic.twitter.com/ak3mkpIN7V

— Ryan (@PossiblyRy) April 12, 2026

It’s rare criticism coming in for CBS, who are usually heavily praised for their Masters coverage each year.

19th Hole

The surprise club Tommy Fleetwood says is key to his Masters chances

Published

1 month ago

Apr 7, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Tommy Fleetwood goes in search for the first major victory of his career again this week, with the Englishman proving to be a popular pick at Augusta National.

Fleetwood’s best showing at Augusta came back in 2024 where he finished T3, and while speaking at his pre-tournament press conference, the 35-year-old emphasized the importance of his 9-wood in his pursuit of the green jacket.

Speaking on Tuesday to media, Fleetwood said:

“It’s a great 9-wood golf course. I think it’s always been — I can’t remember when I first put like a 9-wood in or a high lofted club, but it’s a perfect like 9-wood golf course. I’ve had that in the bag for a few years.”

The Englishman continued, revealing that his strategy for the week won’t just be to hit driver off the tee as much as possible:

“Yeah, it’s funny really because I know Augusta is probably associated with being fairly forgiving off the tee in a way, so you think you can whale around driver a little bit. But I don’t necessarily think that’s always the play for me. I think there’s holes that set up really well where I can draw it with the mini driver if I’m feeling less comfortable with the driver and things like that.”

That strategy he believes will make his TaylorMade Qi10 9-wood extra critical this week in Georgia:

“The biggest thing is the 9-wood for me. If I can put myself in position on the par-5s or the 4th long par-3, like it — for me, I can’t really hit that high 4-iron, so 9-wood helps me a lot.”