April 10, (THEWILL) – An autographed golf ball that Tiger Woods gave to a young fan during his first major championship victory at the 1997 Masters has been sold for over $64,000, Golden Age Auctions confirmed on Sunday.
Nine-year-old Julian Nexsen was handed the Titleist ball, which is stamped with the name “Tiger,” after Woods bogeyed the fifth hole. The auction, which began on March 27 with a starting bid of $500, saw the ball fetch over 100 times its initial value.
Golden Age Auctions speculated that it may be the only confirmed golf ball from Woods’ first major championship victory, given that it was unlikely that the golfer or his caddie kept one intentionally. The ball was also featured in the Washington Times newspaper the day after the event, with Nexsen certifying its authenticity through a legal declaration.
Woods, who won the 1997 Masters with a record margin of 12 strokes, has since won 14 more major titles. He withdrew from this year’s Masters due to a tissue inflammation that caused heel pain, as THEWILL reported.
In November 2020, a ball signed by Woods sold for $186,000, after he hit a hole-in-one with it during his professional tournament debut in 1996.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
