One of Tiger Woods' Backup Putters Sells at Auction for $328,576
Like most of the sports collectible world, golf memorabilia has been hot for the last couple years. And nothing is hotter than an item once owned by Tiger Woods.
One of Woods' backup putters from his major championship-winning prime sold at Golden Age Auctions for $328,576 on Sunday night (including buyer's premium), the second time in 13 months that one of those clubs has topped $300,000.
Woods won 14 of his 15 major championships using a Scotty Cameron Newport II putter, and he still owns that one. But according to Scotty Cameron, when he and Woods worked together the putter maker would make one or two "backups," with which Woods would practice and usually keep close at hand, just in case.
Last August, another backup sold for $393,300. The one sold Sunday has his signature on the putter face, and was first auctioned in 2005 at a fundraiser called "The Tiger Woods Learning Center Block Party" in Anaheim, California, raising money for the first lab in Woods' foundation. The putter was kept in a shadowbox for 17 years before going up for auction again.
This backup putter made for Tiger Woods sold for $328,576 on Sunday.
Golden Age Auctions
Golden Age Auctions owner Ryan Carey said the putter used in the majors would likely be worth more than $10 million if it ever came up for sale.
For now, the record for golf memorabilia are the "Tiger Slam" Titleist 681-T irons that sold in April for $5,156,162 at Golden Age Auctions.
Those irons, which Woods used to win four straight major championships in 2000 and 2001, were bought by a private equity investor for $57,242 in 2010.
Before those clubs sold, the record was $682,000 in 2013 for the green jacket belonging to Horton Smith, winner of the first Masters Tournament in 1934.
Also selling on Sunday from Golden Age was Arnold Palmer's "Calamity Jane" putter, said to be used in many of Palmer's wins, including majors, which brought $126,680.