According to the announcement made by Golden Age Auctions on Sunday, a golf ball that Tiger Woods presented to a young fan during the final round of his winning performance at the 1997 Masters competition brought in a price of $64,124.
Julian Nexsen, who was only nine years old at the time of the match, received the ball after Woods made a bogey on the fifth hole. When Nexsen first put the ball up for auction on March 27, the website for the auction stated that the opening bid for the Titleist ball, which has the word “Tiger” stamped on it, was $500.
Woods, who was 21 years old at the time, won the first of his 15 major wins in astonishing manner at the 1997 Masters. He set a new record for the largest margin of victory at Augusta National by 12 shots and became the youngest golfer to ever win the tournament.
This may be the only confirmed golf ball from the final round of Tiger Woods’ first major championship victory, according to the statement made by Golden Age Auctions. “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 auctioneers claim that “dozens of people” were present when Woods gave the ball to Nexsen at the precise moment it happened. The following day’s edition of the Washington Times newspaper carried a story on it as well.
Nexsen has signed a legal declaration authenticating the authenticity of the golf ball and the tale of his final round meeting with Woods. The declaration also states that Nexsen had a chance encounter with Tiger.
Woods, who is 47 years old, said he had reaggravated a tissue inflammation that produces discomfort in the heel, and he withdrew from this year’s Masters Tournament due to injury before the commencement of the third round. Woods said he had to withdraw before the tournament could continue.
According to Heritage Auctions, a signed Woods ball set a record sale price of $186,000 when it was auctioned off in November of last year. In his first professional competition, which took place in 1996, Woods scored a hole-in-one with the ball.
Hritika Sharma in Bangalore contributed to the reporting, while Peter Rutherford was responsible for editing.
