2020 January Memorabilia Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/9/2020
Mark Calcavecchia's 1989 Open Championship Player Claret Jug
It's probably fair to say, given their rarity, that few collectors have ever even seen a British Open player's trophy in person. If they had, they certainly would never forget it, as the Claret Jug awarded to the champion golfer of the year in golf's oldest professional championship is a fitting award of the highest visual appeal. The design of the personal trophy is identical to the perpetual trophy which winners of The Open get to keep for a year after their championship, the only difference is scale. The jug measures fourteen and a half inches (14 1/2") in height which includes the 4" plinth wrapped in sterling silver bands depicting the names of all past OPEN winners. It weighs nearly two and a half pounds (2.25). This grandest of awards was produced for and purchased by Mark Calcavecchia from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club's official silversmith Nicolas Winston to permanently commemorate his win at the 1989 Open. An intricately engraved sterling silver masterpiece of design which records the earliest champions on the body of the Jug, and the subsequent champions on the three bands that encircle the bakelite base. For clarity onoly, it is noted that this award after thirty years of display appears with the slightest of left to right lean. "Calc" claimed the opportunity to own the Claret Jug through the signature victory of his career a three-way playoff win over four holes that decided the winner for the first time in Open Championship history, contested at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Mark after a draining 72 Championship holes then bested Greg Norman and Wayne Grady in the playoff to become the 1989 Champion Golfer of the Year
Very few player Major trophies have ever made it into the golf collecting hobby, and we needn't expound further on the significance of golf's oldest professional championship. Ownership of this elite Claret Jug will elevate the collector into a rarefied realm, and make him the curator of a relic that is sure to be treasured and revered for ages to come. This opportunity comes with the highest of provenance as Mark Calcavecchia provides a photo with this award and his letter of authenticity to our winning bidder.
Mark Calcavecchia Collection:
The 1989 ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’ was none other than 4-time US Ryder Cup Team Member and perennial top PGA Tour player, Mark Calcavecchia. A moment that any golfer dreams of having, Calcavecchia knew the magnitude of his accomplishment, with his name mentioned with the great champions of past going forward. As a testament to Calcavecchia’s easy going personality after the 1989 Open Championship in Royal Troon, he famously told a member of the press that he wasn’t aware of the tournament’s playoff format and jokingly asked “How’s my name going to fit on that thing?” Calcavecchia was of course referring to the engraving of his name on the Claret Jug. Calcavecchia has left his footprint all around the globe, amassing 29 victories across the PGA Tour, Asian Tour, PGA Tour of Australia among others over four decades from 1986 until 2018.
A Florida native since 1973, Calcavecchia has been in the spotlight numerous times in his career, with numerous notable victories and a runner up finish in the 1988 Masters Tournament. Calcavecchia’s final round of 70 made him leader in the clubhouse at 6-under par. Sandy Lyle did the unthinkable, birdieing Augusta National Golf Club’s final hole, negating a playoff finish the patrons were hoping for. His dominance at the Phoenix Open tournament continued in 2001, tying a PGA Tour record of 28 under par and winning his third Phoenix Open title. In 2009 Calcavecchia set a PGA Tour record by getting nine consecutive birdies at the RBC Canadian Open.
Many of Mark Calcavecchia’s finest on-course achievements worldwide are represented by items from his collection that The Golf Auction is proud to offer.
AUCTION CLOSING RULES:
Place your bids now as this auction will end at 9:00pm EST Sunday, February 9th with EXTENDED BIDDING to follow. All items that have received multiple bids in the auction will remain open until no items have received a bid within a 15 minute time period (at 10pm EST, the countdown clock will be adjusted to a 5 minute interval). Place your bids now!
1. You must place your initial bids BEFORE extended bidding begins in order to bid on the item in extended bidding
2. During extended bidding, you are allowed to bid only on items you PREVIOUSLY placed a bid on.
3. All lots that are active in extended bidding will close at the same time, and those with only ONE or NO BIDS will close at 9pm EST
Click above for larger image.