Tiger Woods’ first hole-in-one ball sold for $186,000 at auction
Tiger Woods' first hole-in-one just recently sold at auction. At Heritage Auctions' fall sports event, one person walked away with an iconic piece of sports history after spending over $180,000.
The hole-in-one occurred at the golfer's professional debut (which makes it more impressive) at the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1996, which was his rookie year. He was named the PGA Tour's Rookie of the Year that season.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Heritage Sports Consignment director Chris Nerat said:
“Everyone knew that was a special piece. How do you put a value on something like that? It’s such a unique piece. He only had three hole-in-ones during his PGA career, and this was the first one in his pro debut."
He added that while it was tough to put a price on something like this, it is the most expensive golf ball sold yet:
"It’s a museum-caliber piece that is one of those once-in-a-generation. It’s never happened in the auction world that a golf ball has sold for that price. It was a special piece and got a special price, and we were very happy with the result.”
Woods initially tossed the ball into the crowd after a huge shot on the 14th hole in Milwaukee all those years ago. Bob Gustin came up with it and has now sold it for a hefty sum.
Owning a piece of memorabilia that even Nerat admitted was kind of priceless is incredible. Some sports items end up going for millions, so to own Woods' first career hole-in-one for under $200,000 is incredible.
Tiger Woods' red shirt is about to sell at auction, too
The red shirt he wore at his iconic Masters victory in 2010 is also up for auction. He wore the shirt on the final day, as has been his custom, on his way to one of his most incredible victories.
Unlike the ball, the shirt is expected to fetch its owner millions, as auctioneers estimate.
This was not his only victory at the Masters, as he's won many majors multiple times, but this was early enough in his career that it's perhaps his most impressive.
Both pieces of history could have been a fan's to own, and the shirt will be available for bidding until December 10. Neither item was owned by Woods or anyone professionally involved with the sport, so this money will help them a lot.