2023 January Golf memorabilia Auction - Closing Date 2/5/2023
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/5/2023
Tiger Woods Personal 1997 Match Used Titleist 2 'TIGER' Golf Ball With Letter - 2nd Round Buick Classic
Unzipping Tiger Woods' bag and pulling out a 'TIGER' Titleist is something that caddy Tim Boardman did many times at Westchester Country Club on June 19th, 1997. He would then hand it to the man the gallery was there to see. The final time, with his player's blessing, after it was hit he kept it. Tiger Woods' personal ball with air-tight provenance containing an exact place and time it was used by the then recent Masters Tournament champion is what we have here. It is sourced directly from his caddy Tim Boardman, the individual carrying the bag that this came out of at the 1997 Buick Classic. Woods' 'TIGER' marked Titleist golf ball he came on the tour with prior to switching to Nike is that of legendary status. There are small strike marks on the ball, as detailed in the accompanying lot photos. Tim Boardman's signed Caddy Badge from his time with Tiger Woods also is offered in this auction, his story is a fascinating one and an importance of networking testament.
'Caddy Picks Up Dream Bag' headlined the New York Post Sports Section on June 19, 1997. The catchy jet black in 'billboard' bold print would go on to tell the tale of Tim Boardman. Boardman was a veteran 43-year old PGA Tour caddy from Attleboro, Massachusetts and very conveniently good friends with fellow Northeasterner Mike "Fluff" Cowen, a Maine resident at the time. Recently-turned 21-year old Tiger Woods' caddy 'Fluff' had just gotten word that he would be leaving after that first round of The 1997 Buick Classic to attend caddy Jeff 'Squeeky' Medlen's funeral. This left a looping void for the second round Friday. "Someone said, 'You better go see Fluff; he might have something for you," Boardman told The New York Post when recounting his hiring. Boardman would be instructed by Tiger not to pull clubs, but simply share distances. Tom Boardman would be featured in Golf World and conduct interviews on various media outlets including television after the memorable day in which he carried the bag of Tiger Woods. Afterall, Tim was the man that gave Tiger distances and removed the Frank Headcover from Woods' driver (along with grabbing personal Titleist balls such as the example in this lot). Tim Boardman's goal was for Tiger to not miss his first cut on tour, and he didn't. Boardman joins the short list of Tiger's PGA Tour caddies: Cowan, Stevie Williams, friend Byron Bell (select events such as 1999 Buick Inv.) and most recently Joe LaCava. We worked closely with Tim Boardman. Sadly Tim passed away on January 21st. A letter of provenance for this item will come from The Golf Auction.
The Golf Auction is proud to present this, our first auction of 2023. This eclectic group of memorabilia represents all areas of the golf collecting world, so please utilize the categories column to help navigate you towards your preferred collectibles. Bids must be placed before 10pm ET, Sunday, February 5th in order to participate in extended bidding
AUCTION CLOSING RULES:
Place your bids NOW as this auction will close beginning at 10:00pm EDT Sunday, February 5th. When placing your INITIAL bid in the auction, you must agree to the terms BEFORE confirming your bid. Each lot will have its own 30 minute countdown clock during extended bidding. The clock will extend 30-minutes from the time of the most recently placed bid for that lot. If no bids are placed on that lot during a 30-minute period, the lot will close. Place your bids now!
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