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Earlier this week, a man was charged with stealing millions of dollars worth of merchandise and memorabilia from Augusta National Golf Club, and it appears that they made off with the green jacket Arnold Palmer won at The Masters.
Golfers who win The Masters are presented with a trophy fashioned after the clubhouse at Augusta National, but I’d argue the real trophy is the iconic green jacket that’s been presented to every person who’s reigned supreme since Sam Snead finished at the top of the field in 1949.
If you’re familiar with Augusta National’s reputation, you won’t be shocked to discover it’s very protective of those green jackets. While winners are allowed to take theirs with them in the wake of a victory, they’re required to return it to the club the following year and are subsequently barred from taking it off of its grounds.
In 2013, the green jacket that was retroactively presented to Horton Smith (who won the inaugural edition of The Masters in 1934) was auctioned off for $682,000. That year, Augusta National sued to prevent the sale of the jacket Art Wall Jr. won by beating Arnold Palmer in 1959 by arguing it was stolen—a fate that Arnie’s apparently also managed to befall.
On Tuesday, a 39-year-old man who formerly worked at Augusta National was hit with federal charges for allegedly pilfering items with a collective worth of millions from Augusta National over a 13-year span. According to Cllct, that haul included the green jacket Arnold Palmer was presented with when he won The Masters for the first of four times in 1958 (winners don their original jacket as opposed to receiving a new one if they manage to repeat).
The outlet spoke with multiple sources who say Augusta National declined to publicize the suspected theft when it was initially discovered at an unspecified point in time before a member reached out to a collector who was ultimately able to use his connections to track it down.
In 2022, the FBI was involved in a sting that was orchestrated after the person in possession of the green jacket agreed to sell it for $3.6 million only to find themselves at the center of an investigation after it was seized by the feds.
As things currently stand, it’s unclear if any other pieces of similarly notable memorabilia ended up in the possession of the accused thief (who is scheduled to be arraigned on May 15th), but if Augusta National managed to lose track of Arnold Palmer’s green jacket, it’s safe to assume some other valuable items went missing as well.