A Tiger Woods backup putter from 2001 sold at Golden Age Golf Auctions early Sunday morning for $154,928, which is believed to be the most a putter of this caliber has ever sold for.
The putter is a Scotty Cameron Newport II produced for Woods as a backup to the putter he has used to win 14 of his 15 major championships. Scotty Cameron made Woods a backup putter nearly every year if something were to happen to the putter he used in tournament play or he decided to make a switch.
This putter was produced in 2001, the year Woods completed the “Tiger Slam” in which he won all four majors consecutively after winning the Masters that April.
Woods did not use this putter in tournament play but would often practice with or test out the backup putters, which hold his exact specs, the exact stamping with his name on the back of the putter and his preferred PING grip.
Golden Age Golf Auctions co-founder Ryan Carey said the company has seen a massive increase in interest in Woods memorabilia since he won the Masters in 2019.
“We are currently seeing the largest ever demand for Tiger Woods memorabilia,” Carey said. “We are seeing a dramatic increase in demand for Tiger Woods memorabilia both domestically and with our international clients, and this Tiger Woods putter is the most viewed auction lot in our 14 years of holding auctions.”
The auction house has sold similar Woods backup putters in the past, but nothing that has reached this price point. One putter sold for $88,809 in spring 2019, another sold for $44,401 in 2018, and another for $19,190 in 2014.
Because there were so few produced for Woods and few left his possession, these putters are becoming more valuable as the demand for Woods memorabilia continues to increase.