Augusta National Suing Site to Stop Sale of Green Jackets

The Masters and one of the most prestigious on the PGA TOUR, and needless to say, the green jacket awarded to the winner is something that fans and players alike wish they could own. Now, it may be possible to get your hands on one.

The popular golf auctions site, appropriately named Green Jacket Auctions, is attempting to auction off official Masters green jackets on its site. One jacket is allegedly the jacket that was issued to Byron Nelson all the way back in 1966. For this incredible piece of history, the auction site is listing it at $114,000 but that number is subject to change.

Before fans get too excited about the opportunity to be a green jacket owner, the memorabilia may never actually go to auction. The Georgia group that owns Augusta National is attempting to block the auction of the green jacket. The lawsuit claims that the green jackets, as well as some other pieces of memorabilia that are up for auction, cannot be sold because they should not have been removed from the grounds to begin with.

Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club William Porter ‘Billy’ Payne…

Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club William Porter ‘Billy’ Payne and Kathleen ‘Kit’ Palmer place a Green Jacket on a chair in honor of Arold Palmer during the first tee ceremony prior to the first… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

“It appears that Augusta National Golf Club is attempting to assert ownership claims to every green jacket ever produced, regardless of who currently owns or possesses the jackets,” Green Jacket Auctions co-owner Ryan Carey explained. “Obviously, we at Green Jacket Auctions dispute such claims, and will litigate the matter, if necessary.”

Basically, the lawsuit is claiming that Green Jacket Auctions or whoever gave the group access to the green jackets for sale stole them. This could become an incredibly sticky situation for Green Jacket Auctions because if Augusta National wins the suit, their reputation will be tarnished. And that reputation is something Green Jacket doesn’t want to tarnish, as they have other incredible items up for auction every year.

It’s unclear at the moment how this issue will be settled but if you’re someone who would do anything for a green jacket, you may want to start saving up your money now so you can place a competitive bid.

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