Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters by 12 shots.
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In 1997, Tiger Woods won his first major at the Masters in record-breaking fashion. His four-round total of 18 under par resulted in a 12-stroke victory over Tom Kite – a record that still stands today.
Given its historical importance, any memorabilia from those Masters is worth a small fortune. In recent years, the “Tiger Slam” irons have fetched $5.1 million, while Woods's Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS sold for nearly $400,000.
But what happened to the ball Woods used for his final shot before signing Sunday's 69 at Augusta National? According to Warren Stephens, the son of Augusta National chairman at the time Jackson T. Stephens, Woods' ball landed in the hand of Warren's son, coming off the 18th green.
In a recent episode of The Golfer's Journal Podcast hosted by Tom Coyne, Warren reflected on a pivotal day in 1997.
“Dad had the honor of being the chairman when Tiger won his first medal and his first Masters,” said Warren. “I was there. It was great. Everyone was very happy because here, you know, everyone knows Tiger Woods, and all this is possible.
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“My eldest son was 11 years old. It was sitting at 18 when Tiger left. It didn't happen Sports Illustrated picture, but there was another golf magazine that had it – there's a picture of him with another guy right there when Tiger came out at 18, and actually Tiger or Fluff put the ball, gave the ball to our son.”
This 11-year-old boy is about to turn 40. But do you still have the ball?
“I'm not 100 percent sure,” Warren Stephens admitted. “I think there is still something we have found. It's probably in our house somewhere.”
If the Stephens family can get the ball, it may cost a lot. In 2023, the ball Woods gave 9-year-old fan Julien Nexsen on the 5th hole in the final round of the 1997 Masters sold for $64,164 at Golden Age Auctions. The ball, a Titleist Professional, had the word “Tiger” stamped on it.
“Unless Tiger himself or his coach Fluff deliberately saved the ball in this historic final round (which we doubt), this could be the only golf ball guaranteed to be in the final round of Tiger Woods' major championship victory,” Golden Age Auctions said. football definition online.
But it sounds like there's at least one other ball out there.
You can listen to the full podcast episode here.
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