Equipment

Tiger Woods’ personally used 1997 Masters prototype Scotty Cameron putter sells for big bucks

Published

5 years ago

Feb 22, 2019

How much would you be willing to pay for a Scotty Cameron putter personally used by Tiger Woods? Well, for someone out there the answer was just short of $23k.

As Golf.com’s Jonathan Wall first reported this week, the putter in question is the Scotty Cameron Newport Teryllium TeI3, and although it didn’t play a role in 13 of Woods’ 14 major victories, it is a putter associated with his very first Masters triumph back in 1997.

The putter sold via Green Jacket Auctions, and according to their description, the flat-stick was not just used by Woods, but it was the prototype version of the Newport TeI3 which he used on his way to dominating Augusta National for his first major victory.

Per the report, this particular putter has a teryllium insert which features 32 vibration-dampening dots that sought to soften the feel of the putter and offset the five screws that were used in the back cavity during the milling process.

As the description on Green Jacket Auctions states, Callaway’s director of fitting and instruction, Randy Peterson was the recipient of the putter before the 1997 golf season, and the flat-stick has “Tiger” stamped in dancing letters on the toe, while “Proto” and “XXX” are stamped on the back bumpers. The last five digits of the Certificate of Authenticity from Cameron (84437) also spells out “Tiger” on the phone keypad.

While $22,784.40 may seem like an inordinate amount to pay for a putter, there is reason to believe that the new owner of the Scotty Cameron Newport Teryllium TeI3 may have got themselves an excellent deal. Two previous Tiger Woods Newport 2 GSS backups (the same model he used on his way to winning 13 of his 14 majors) have been sold via Green Jacket Auctions in the past three years, for totals of $53,146 and $44,401, and comparing this Scotty Cameron putter to those previous models, the auction company states

“With all due respect to those fine putters, perhaps no privately owned Tiger Woods putter holds a candle to the collecting appeal of this specimen.”

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

23 Comments

Barkley Chuck

Feb 23, 2019 at 3:25 pm

Always wondered what club Elin used to pound some justice into the old Tigre’!!

Reply Report comment
Charlotte

Feb 22, 2019 at 3:44 pm

Does this make my Studio Stainless Newport worth more? Its the same look without the insert. Feels great. Just a little heavier than the Newport 2.

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- passerby
  
  Feb 22, 2019 at 10:09 pm
  
  no sir cuz nothing related or relevant.
  
  Reply Report comment
Jamie King

Feb 22, 2019 at 3:22 pm

If your local golf course had this putter and rented it…would you pay $200 to play a round with it?

Reply Report comment
- JP
  
  Feb 22, 2019 at 7:15 pm
  
  I won’t pay a $200 greens fee! Screw renting ANY putter. I like mine just fine.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Big Ern
  
  Feb 22, 2019 at 10:45 pm
  
  Amazing question!
  Depends though if it were some 1/2 kept joint with greens that look similar to a cheetahs fur or a top notch place like a TPC course. If at the latter i definitely would fork over the $200.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Jacob McCain
    
    Mar 14, 2019 at 3:45 pm
    
    I have played a round with one of Tiger’s backup putters. It’s very nice but I wouldn’t pay $200 to do it.
    
    Reply Report comment
Tim

Feb 22, 2019 at 2:57 pm

I didn’t use it either.
In fact, Tiger and I didn’t use for the EXACT same amount of time!

How much does that add to the value?

Some people…

Reply Report comment
toyzrx

Feb 22, 2019 at 2:56 pm

What about the PING longneck Anser he used to win US am against Trip Keuhne? Probably was 1995 or 1996, but I bet that thing is pretty valuable too.

Reply Report comment
Sean

Feb 22, 2019 at 12:36 pm

Article is a little misleading. This is not the actual putter used to win the 97 Masters. The auction listing describes it as the prototype given in 96 before the actual Te3 putter was provided which Tiger went on to win the masters with.

The actual 97 Masters putter is priceless IMO and likely sits in Tigers house (hopefully mounted : )

Reply Report comment
- Nachos
  
  Feb 23, 2019 at 12:26 pm
  
  Thanks for this, the price seemed low. That and why would it sell for less than backups?
  
  Reply Report comment
Tom

Feb 22, 2019 at 11:17 am

How much are his personally used bimbos going for?

Reply Report comment
- JP
  
  Feb 22, 2019 at 2:24 pm
  
  You asking to buy or just a short term lease?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Tom
    
    Feb 22, 2019 at 3:00 pm
    
    Good point, JP!
    
    Reply Report comment
  - DonJuan
    
    Feb 22, 2019 at 10:49 pm
    
    Short term lease maybe 150 miles or less. Not looking for love
    
    Reply Report comment
dat

Feb 22, 2019 at 10:33 am

Considering how much the regular tour models go for, this isn’t a bad value for a high end collector.

Reply Report comment
GOLFFRR

Feb 22, 2019 at 10:06 am

I was able to sit in on a speech that Scotty Cameron did and he told us about the story of how the dots came in to play in those putters. It all started with Tiger getting a putter from him that was too heavy for his liking. Tiger needed it lighter and needed it overnight. Scotty couldn’t re make a putter so he though he would drill some holes in the back. Once he did that he noticed it was rusting, so he went to local store and bought some caulking and put it in the holes to stop the rust. he went and won that week and the putter was all over TV the rest was history 🙂

Reply Report comment
- Jon
  
  Feb 22, 2019 at 11:32 am
  
  There’s other stories about Scotty and tigers putters. The actual gamer tiger has used for 13 major victories was supposed to ship out the day that Scotty had finished it. Tiger wanted the head to play exactly 350 grams. The putter came off the mill at 353g (or so not sure on exact #s) so Scotty decided to mill a couple grams out of the back of the face because he knew that tiger would be able to feel the extra weight. Tigers putter was the first of nearly every tour putter after his to have a ‘tour dot’ yet the reason for tigers red dot in the cavity is not to distinguish it from retail model it’s so that it plays the right way. The cool thing is that Scotty has made over 20 back ups for tiger over his career in the identical configuration and not one of them has ever gone into play. Because they, “Don’t feel right.” That’s why tigers putter looks so beat up, because he won’t use another one. There’s also been multiple times where tiger has thrown the Scotty at his golf bag or slammed it off the ground and bent the hosel way out of whack and Scotty has had to drop what he’s doing and fly to wherever the tournament is to fix the alignment/ set up of the putter. I couldn’t imagine what his actual putter would sell for considering one of the back ups that weren’t good enough for tiger have sold for over $50 grand.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Benny
    
    Feb 22, 2019 at 5:59 pm
    
    Great info Jon and exactly right. But here in lies the issue… Scotty shaved that weight with those drilled dots to sehd 2 grams. One on the face/ heel and other in the cavity. But Scotty said “to keep it from rusting he used red printing ink for the dots and lettering”.
    How does GSS rust?? (Stainless steel does not rust)
    It doesn’t, so that means Tiger’s real putter is carbon underneath the finish.
    But to push the GSS line and sales Scotty and Tiger have stated for ever its GSS when the real putter is a Pro Platinum finish.
    This was the only stainless like finish Scotty had at that time.
    Its all marketing boys and the video where Scotty explained all this has been removed from their site.
    I have also seen pics of Tigers putter from 2013-2015 seasons where it looked brand new. But the real TW NP2 is all banged up.
    IMO I believe its not just 1 putter and instead he has used a handful of these to win but kept secret so that Scotty can market his $10k GSS putters.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Jacob McCain
      
      Mar 14, 2019 at 3:42 pm
      
      Stainless steel does rust. Especially if you’re a tour pro who uses it as a tool and don’t take care of it. let it sit in the rain for 10 minutes then put a cover over it and don’t dry it off. It’ll rust for sure. Not nearly as badly as carbon but still will have rust spots. Also Tiger’s putter wasn’t 350. It was 335 or 330 originally. Due to remilling to get dings and such out it’s down to about 325 now.
      
      Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

9 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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