Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters by a record 12 shots.
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In 1997, Tiger Woods famously won his first major Masters championship in a record-setting fashion. His four-round total of 18 under par resulted in a 12-stroke margin of victory over Tom Kite – a record that still stands to this day.
Given its historical importance, any memorabilia from that Master is worth a small fortune. In recent years, “Tiger Slam” handcuffs. reached $5.1 million and Woods’ Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS sold for nearly $400,000.
But what happened to the ball Woods used for his final shots before signing off for Sunday’s 69 at Augusta National? According to Warren Stephens, son of then-Augusta National chairman Jackson T. Stephens, Woods’ ball found its way into Warren’s son’s hand just short of the 18th green.
In the last The Golfer’s Journal Podcast hosted by Tom Coyne, Warren reflected on the momentous day in 1997.
“Dad had the honor of being the chairman when Tiger won his first Masters and his first Masters,” Warren said. “I was there. It was wonderful. Everybody was very excited because here, you know, everybody knows Tiger Woods, with all this potential.
How was Tiger Woods no. 1 for so long? He answered with 14 words
“My oldest son was 11 years old. He was sitting 18 years old when Tiger left. It didn’t do it Sports Illustrated picture, but there was another golf magazine that had – there’s a picture of him and another guy in there when Tiger goes down 18, and actually either Tiger or Fluff put the ball, gave the ball to our guy.
That 11-year-old boy would now be close to 40. But does he still have the ball?
“I’m not 100 percent sure,” Warren Stephens confessed. “I think we still have it somewhere. Maybe it’s somewhere in our house.”
If the Stephens family could find the ball, it would likely fetch a pretty high price. In 2023, a ball Woods gave 9-year-old fan Julien Nexsen on the 5th hole during the final round of the 1997 Masters sold for $64,164 from Golden Age Auctions. The ball, a professional starter, had the word “Tiger” stamped on it.
“Unless Tiger himself or his caddy Fluff intentionally saved a ball from this historic final round (which we doubt), this may be the only confirmed golf ball from the final round of the first major victory of Tiger Woods Championship,” Golden Age Auctions said in the ball’s online description.
But it looks like there’s at least one more ball out there.
You can listen full podcast episode here.
