Tiger Woods' US OPEN Debut 1995 1st Round Official Used U.S.G.A. Scorecard
Removing the cap from Tiger Woods' proverbial career time capsule would reveal this very artifact as the single most significant from his historic US Open debut at Shinnecock Hills in 1995. In keeping with that vision, this is an item that we never thought would see the light of day. Fortunately, for not only the golf, but the sports memorabilia industry, it has.
Presented for the very first time is Tiger Woods' actual US Open debut official signed and tournament used 'Competitor' first round scorecard! Every story has a beginning - be it a single page, chapter or this remarkable one-of-one, hand signed 18-hole breakdown.
A formal invitation with the return stamp of the United States Golf Association (USGA), marquee golf governing body, to their 1995 US Open Championship showed up in Tiger Woods' Cypress, California mailbox. The green behind the ears 19-year-old freshman in college qualified for golf's toughest test by winning his first of three US Amateur championships a year prior. This would mark phenom Tiger Woods' United States Open debut, along with technically professional USGA debut, a tournament he would go on to champion three times over (2000, 2002 & 2009). Amateur Woods' battle with Shinnecock, and specifically its unforgiving rough, was not a fair fight. While Woods delivered the first punch with an opening round 74 detailed on this official scorecard, Shinnecock Hills' thick grass would knock him out of the tournament the following day after only five holes. Wrist pain began in the tall grass on hole three and advanced to extreme just off the fairway on hole five, begrudgingly bowing out after the tee-shot on hole six. And off to the trainers for ice and treatment. Withdrawing only a third of the way through the round wasn't his plan going into his first US Open, the USGA centennial championship, but the then young man knew he would get more chances at it. The New York Times reported that, "(Tiger) Woods, his wrist wrapped in tape, said he drove into the left rough on the third, tried to hit a wedge out and felt something tweak in the wrist. 'I kept trying to play on it,' Tiger said, 'but it kept getting worse and weaker." And thus already his third of a host of derailing injuries of varying degree (knee surgery in December 1994 and right shoulder injury spring of 1995). The Tiger would have to earn his stripes.
The questions remain. Is there a second scorecard consisting of only 5 holes marked? Where is it if there is? Did Tiger sign it? Factually this is the one and only Tiger Woods scored and signed scorecard, first round - his true USGA pro debut scorecard!
Preconceived value constraints simply cannot be applied to this scorecard, with this "priceless" US Open debut scorecard - only perhaps comparable to the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open example we sold for over $125k in March. This official scorecard exhibits Tiger Woods’ time-period pencil signature on the bottom right ‘Competitor’ line opposite seasoned tour star Nick Price. For many years the USGA paired up the defending US Open (Ernie Els) and Open Championship (Nick Price) winners with the reigning US Amateur winner, thus 1994 Open Champion and by happenstance 1995 US Open first round leader Price signed Woods' card here. An opening nine of 2-over 37 did not tell the full story, as detailed here, Woods carded only one par (opening hole) along with three birdies and five bogeys. Woods back nine also totaling 37 consisted of a double bogey on 14 and single birdie and bogey on 10 and 11 respectively. In type in the upper left-hand corner is ‘Woods, Tiger’ and the date '6/15/95.' The Stanford standout carded a 74 in his first, final and only complete round at his very first US Open of 22 and counting. From a macrolevel, this white and green scorecard represents the most important tournament-used item from that historic day. Simply put, not a single item from Tiger Woods' US Open debut to hit the auction block has ever been comparable.
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