Tiger Woods' ball from 1997 Masters fetches $64,000

NEW YORK

A golf ball Tiger Woods gave to a 9-year-old boy during the 1997 Masters has sold for more than $64,000, BBC has reported.

Woods handed the ball to Julian Nexsen during his final round, after he made a bogey on the fifth hole.

The ball was put up for auction on March 27 after a starting bid of $500, it fetched $64,124.40 when the auction closed on April 9.

The tournament was Woods' first major championship victory and made him the youngest player to win the Masters.

The victory set the tone for Woods' record-breaking career. His four-day score was 270, 18 under par - breaking the previous record held by Jack Nicklaus.

Golden Age Auctions said it is likely to be the only known ball from the final round.

"Unless Tiger himself or his caddie Fluff intentionally saved a ball from this historic final round... this may be the only confirmed golf ball from the final round of Tiger Woods' first Major Championship victory," the auction house said.

The auctioneers say dozens of people witnessed Woods give the ball to Nexsen, including a reporter from the Washington Times.

Nexsen's interaction with Woods was featured in the Washington Times' article on the paper's front page the next day.

"After making his first bogey in 36 holes yesterday, Woods stopped on his way to the sixth tee to give a ball to 9-year-old Julian Nexsen of Greenville, SC [South Carolina]," the paper reported.

The newspaper cutting, Mr Nexsen's badge from the 1997 Masters Tournament, pairings sheets from the Sunday final round and the golf ball have been framed together ever since.

Nexsen signed a legal declaration, certifying the authenticity of the golf ball and the story of that final round interaction with Woods.