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.
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