If he were a baseball player who'd just done something phenomenal, there would have been a mad rush to Jordan Spieth rookie cards on Sunday afternoon. Spieth, however, plays a sport that is still without a traditional trading card deal. The hottest young golfer to come around since Tiger Woods has no mainstream trading cards at all. You'd think it would … [Read more...]
Arnold Palmer’s 1961 British Open Driver Helped Make Pro Golf Global
The driver Arnold Palmer used for a landmark victory at the British Open in 1961 is going on the auction block. Heritage Auctions received the driver on consignment and will offer it in its August Platinum Night Auction where it could bring $80,000 or more. According to the auction listing, Palmer is widely credited for bringing relevance to the Open Championship … [Read more...]
Palmer’s 1964 Masters Putter Nets $97,690 in Golf Auction
There’s a new Masters champion but memorabilia from two former champs drew a lot of attention from collectors before the final round on Sunday. The putter used by Arnold Palmer during his 1964 Masters win sold for $97,690 at Green Jacket Auctions while the cigar humidor that served as the trophy when Sam Snead beat the field in 1954 went for $94,152. They were two of the … [Read more...]
Hagen’s 1926 PGA Championship Medal Coming to Auction
He was flashy, stylish and possibly the first athlete to earn $1 million in his career. Walter Hagen made much of his money playing exhibition golf matches around the world in an era long before the “pro tour” became the norm but when the most prestigious events were on the schedule, Hagen was almost always in the running. Now, one of his most fabulous awards is about to … [Read more...]
Jordan Spieth Says Autograph Profiteer Cursed Him
Pro golfer Jordan Spieth is fed up with autograph dealers. The 23-year-old two-time major champion was boiling over after he said a spectator at Pebble Beach seeking his autograph cursed him when he didn’t sign during a practice round Wednesday. Spieth says that while he tries to accommodate autograph seekers, especially kids, he’s come to recognize some of those … [Read more...]
Arnold Palmer Masters Trophy Becomes 2nd Highest Priced Golf Item
A Masters Trophy presented retroactively to Arnold Palmer sold at auction for $444,012 early Sunday. It’s second only to Horton Smith’s 1936 Masters jacket among the most expensive pieces of golf memorabilia ever sold at auction. Green Jacket Auctions sold the trophy, which has an odd story. The “clubhouse trophies” were created for Masters champions in 1993 and … [Read more...]
Notes: 1904 Olympic Golf Trophy Uncovered, Big Ticket Vintage, More
Justin Rose won the Olympic gold medal for golf on Sunday. It was the first time the sport was part of the Games since 1904. When golf disappeared from the Olympics, so too did the awards associated with it. Back in 1904, when the Games were held in St. Louis, trophies were handed out to winners rather than the gold, silver and bronze medals we know today. Recently, one … [Read more...]
NYC Time Capsule Holds 1930 Babe Ruth, Bobby Jones Signed Balls
It’s been an interesting few weeks for vintage golf collectors. On July 27, writer Laurie Gwen Shapiro wrote a fascinating piece for the website Untapped Cities, revealing how two time capsules hidden in a cornerstone at Bloomingdale’s in New York included a golf ball signed in 1930 by Bobby Jones. The capsule at the department store also contained an autographed Babe Ruth … [Read more...]
Rare 1929 U.S. Open Photo: Bobby Jones Rules in Playoff
He wasn’t in the game for long but in that short time, there was no golfer better than Bobby Jones. An attorney by trade who played golf strictly as an amateur, Jones dominated the sport for several years while in his 20s, then retired from the game at age 28 in 1930. He played in 31 major championships, winning 13 of them and finishing in the top 10 an amazing 27 … [Read more...]
Ramblings: Tiger’s Troubles Reveal Perils of Buying Current Athletes
This weekend, I, like many of you, watched the "highlights" of Tiger Woods at the 2015 U.S. Open. To me, the dissolution of his talent reminds me of watching Willie Mays as a New York Met in 1973 when he knew it was time to "Say Goodbye to America" to the last days of Johnny Unitas as a San Diego Charger. For people who remember just a few years ago how great Tiger was, their … [Read more...]