Power Rankings: Butterfield Bermuda Championship

A big year for Tiger Woods memorabilia continues to get bigger. The irons Woods purportedly used to win the Tiger Slam and one of Woods’ backup putters have already sold at auction this year. The irons fetched a record $5 million, setting the standard for the priciest piece of golf memorabilia ever sold. The putter, which was signed by Woods, sold for more than $300,000. Now a glove worn by Woods during his greatest performance and one of his trademark red shirts that he wore at Augusta National are up for auction, as is another putter once belonging to Woods. All three items were signed by Woods, as well. Golden Age Auctions, the same firm that conducted the auction for the Tiger Slam irons and signed Scotty Cameron, is hosting the auction for these latest items, as well. The glove was worn by Woods during his 15-shot win in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. According to Golden Age auctions, Woods signed the glove and dated it “6/18/00” shortly after putting out on the 72nd hole. Woods gave the signed glove to his caddie, Steve Williams. Golden Age said it sent the glove to two of the foremost autograph authenticators in the world, and letters of authenticity from both accompany the glove. The red shirt was worn by Woods in the final round of the 2010 Masters, where he finished fourth. The certificate of authenticity from Upper Deck states that one of the company’s representatives watched Woods sign the shirt and that the item was “legally procured directly from Tiger Woods.” The shirt also was “marked with proprietary invisible ink that contains a patented strand of synthetic DNA, which will fluoresce under a calibrated laser,” according to a certificate of authenticity from PSA/DNA Authentication Services. “It is our understanding that this may be the only Sunday Red shirt from the Masters Tournament in private hands,” the item’s description states, “and the only obtained directly from Tiger’s exclusive memorabilia partner, Upper Deck Authenticated.” The signed putter is a Nike Method, a model used by Woods in 2010. The putter came directly from Woods’ longtime agent, Mark Steinberg, who donated it to a 2014 charity auction. It is unknown if Woods ever used the putter in competition, but it is believed to be the first time an item directly from Woods’ team has been made available at auction. The putter includes a signed letter from Steinberg stating that he observed Woods signing the club. “This putter is nothing short of remarkable,” reads the item’s description. “It is a custom Nike Method putter with ‘TW’ logo on one side of the hosel and ‘Tiger Woods’ on the other. It also contains the serial number TW 9.10.2P. We sent this photo to a former employee of Nike’s famed Oven, who confirmed that this putter was produced for Tiger Woods in or around 2010, and that it was ‘made for Tiger to game on tour.’ The putter also contains one more special detail. This Nike putter is fitted with a blacked out rubber PING grip – Tiger’s preferred grip to use on his gamers.” The auction for these items closes at 8 p.m. on Dec. 10, the same day that Woods plays in Capital One’s The Match. Woods and Rory McIlroy are teaming up to take on Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in that competitions.

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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Chad Ramey won the windswept Corales Puntacana Championship on Sunday for his first PGA TOUR title, beating Ben Martin and Alex Smalley by a stroke. RELATED: Final leaderboard Ramey closed with a 5-under 67, completing a two-putt par on the par-4 18th after Martin missed a 6-foot birdie try that would have forced a playoff. “It was honestly like I always thought it would be,” Ramey said. “It was very stressful, very nerve-wracking coming down the stretch, but I just grinded it out, kind of stuck to my process, stayed within myself and pulled it out.” Two strokes behind Martin entering the round, Ramey made four straight birdies on Nos. 13-16 to take the lead and parred the par-3 17th at Corales Golf Course. “I’ve been rolling the putter good all day, they just hadn’t been going in,” Ramey said. “I was kind of all around the hole on the front side. I didn’t change a thing, I didn’t do anything different. They just started going in.” With the tournament played opposite the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play event in Austin, Texas, Ramey earned 300 FedExCup points. The 29-year-old from Mississippi finished at 17-under 271. “I think it will take maybe a day or two to sink in,” Ramey said. “Everything’s pretty surreal, happening pretty fast, but I’m definitely excited.” Martin, the leader after each of the first three rounds, closed with a 70. The 2014 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open winner for his lone PGA TOUR title, Martin was making only his second PGA TOUR start of the year. “That was obviously difficult,” Martin said. “I’ve won out here before, won on the Korn Ferry, runner-up in the U.S. Am, but I guess maybe I wanted this one a lot more. I don’t think I’ve ever been this emotional about golf, so this is a first. I guess, to me, that’s a good thing. Means I competed hard and it obviously stung. Hit two such good shots into 18 to have such a good opportunity and then not capitalize I guess is the most difficult part.” Smalley finished with a 67. The TOUR rookie from Duke had his best PGA TOUR finish. “Successful week,” Smalley said. “Kind of stings a little bit to come up a shot short. Left my 20-footer on the last 6 inches short right in the middle. Whatever’s meant to be is meant to be, so I take a lot of positives from this week.” Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela shot a 68 to tie for fourth with Cameron Percy (67) at 15 under. Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard (67) was 14 under. Twin brother Nicolai, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 77, missed the cut.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR announced an hour-long special titled “PGA TOUR 2018: Mr. Palmer’s Legacy presented by Mastercard� that will look at the remarkable legacy of golf’s greatest ambassador, Arnold Palmer. Produced by PGA TOUR Entertainment, “PGA TOUR 2018: Mr. Palmer’s Legacy presented by Mastercard� will explore Palmer’s greatest attributes, which led to his profound impact on the game, and how he has inspired players and tournaments on the PGA TOUR. The show will highlight five areas of Palmer’s life that helped create his legacy: International Icon: As a leading figure in the game of golf, his faithful “Arnie’s Army� reached all corners of the globe. Palmer’s impact on The Open Championship and passion for world travel even influenced countries where golf wasn’t at the forefront. Picking up the game late, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson’s passion was inspired by goals of winning The Open. His boyhood dream came to fruition in 2016 when he won the event and claimed the Claret Jug, a prized possession in the golf world thanks in part to Arnold Palmer. The Gentleman: It wasn’t just how Palmer played the game, it was also how he carried himself both on and off the golf course. In both victory and defeat, or simply by treating anyone he came across the right way, he epitomized what it means to be a true gentleman. Carrying out this aspect of Palmer’s legacy is four-time PGA TOUR winner Webb Simpson. A recipient of the Arnold Palmer Scholarship at Wake Forest, Simpson followed the example Palmer set and applied it to not only his golf career, but how he lives his life as well. The Underdog: While his swashbuckling style of play quickly made an impact in the golf world, Palmer’s blue-collar background and everyman personality portrayed him as the underdog and was something which resonated with nongolfers as well. Spain’s Jon Rahm comes from humble beginnings, yet he carries a similar energy and charisma, which has led to a rapid rise in the golf world in just his second season on TOUR. The Family Man: With all the success in his career, a family life was very important to Palmer. Whether it was spending time with his wife, children or grandchildren, making time for family was a priority. Palmer’s relationship with his grandson, Sam Saunders, was well documented later in his career as Sam was an aspiring golfer in the game. Now on the PGA TOUR, Saunders appreciates the lessons from his grandfather and remembers to honor his legacy, while making sure to forge his own path. The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: Since its inaugural year in 1979, the Arnold Palmer Invitational quickly grew into a signature event on the PGA TOUR, thanks to Palmer’s passion for running his own event. The tournament continues to display Palmer’s qualities with a world-class experience for fans and players, but more importantly, through the event’s charitable efforts. Palmer’s philosophy for giving back serves as an inspiration for others to pursue both passion and purpose in their own lives, a sentiment that resonates with Mastercard’s Start Something Priceless movement which is set out to inspire people across their passions. Click here for preview of the special on PGATOUR.COM.

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