Mike (not his real name) is conducting business in his office, on a patch of weeds off Washington Road, right between “Tire Kingdom” and the “Somewhere in Augusta Bar and Grill.”
“$300,” he said into the phone.
Click. No deal. Another customer moves in.
“Didn’t you say $250?” he asked when Mike hangs up his phone.
“Yeah. Tell you what, just give me $240.”
Mike was looking to clear inventory.
This is what it looks like when the Masters has been marked down.
It has been 80 years since the inaugural Augusta National Invitation Tournament (later changed to “Masters” because Bobby Jones feared everybody some day would mock, “Ha, ha — it’s the NIT.”). This is one of those the-event-is-bigger-than-anybody-in-it events. It’s like the Olympics, or the Super Bowl, or SEC media days, unless we’re talking about Nick Saban. There have been 77 Masters with over 1,100 players and 47 champions who were not named Tiger Woods.
So no, that Woods is rehabilitating from back surgery far from the gates of Augusta National shouldn’t suggest the Masters is going to shrivel up and morph into something of complete insignificance.
But what does it mean when one of the world’s biggest sporting events loses its biggest star and suddenly is on a bargain table with slightly defective socks?
OK. Really nice socks.
“Terrible. Absolutely terrible. Not even close,” Mike said when asked about the market for Masters tickets relative to past years when Woods was in the field.
Last year, he said, Tuesday practice-round tickets went for $700 to $800. This year: $240 to $300 (depending on his patience).
Jimmy Dizoglio, another independent contractor who has set up shop just downstairs from his temporary residence, the Parkway Inn, said tournament-week badges are going for $3,500 to $3,700.
Last year?
“Maybe $11,500 to $12,000. People are waiting a little bit this year because they know they can get them.”
Another scalper, “Joe,” said, “It’s hard to believe one guy can drive the market like this. When a guy gets hurt on a football team, it doesn’t affect the whole league. When Tiger is out, it affects everything.”
It has been a while since Woods’ days of domination on the Tour. He previously won a major in 2008 (U.S. Open). He previously won the Masters in 2005. He won five tournaments in 2013, but his body has steadily been breaking down, and he likely would not have been in the final few pairings Sunday, given the recent condition of his back.
But that doesn’t matter. Woods still drives the market. He drives TV ratings and ticket prices.
The unfortunate truth for the green-jacketed 1-percenters is that this year’s Masters isn’t nearly as interesting without him.
His name won’t be on the pairings sheet or the leaderboard. Spectators and viewers won’t wonder in the morning whether he’ll make a charge that day. Nobody will hear the familiar Woods gallery roar from two holes away when he accomplishes some improbable, something Tiger-like.
“Having Tiger in a tournament definitely creates more buzz, more atmosphere,” Rory McIlroy said. “You know where he is on the course just by the crowd and the gallery that follows him.”
“It’s awkward to not have him here,” Phil Mickelson said. “I hope he gets back soon. I mean, I hope he’s back for the other majors. And as much as I want to win, and I know how great he is and tough to beat, it also makes it — it makes it special when he’s in the field and you’re able to win.”
As the week goes on, the story of Woods’ absence will fade. But right now, there’s a hole. This year’s Masters is like going to a car show and having somebody tell you: “I’m sorry, but the truck carrying the new Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche broke down just outside of North Dakota. But the new Equinox is here.”
Woods has played in 19 consecutive Masters. His first came as an amateur in 1995. He turned pro in 1996, won his first of four Masters at the age of 21 the following year and has been the centerpiece of this event ever since.
The last time Woods wasn’t in Augusta this week was in 1994. To fully comprehend how long ago that was, the top five finishers were Jose Maria Olazabel (winner), Tom Lehman, Larry Mize, Tom Kite, Jay Haas. It’s like passing through a time warp.
Olazabel’s winnings: $360,000. Adam Scott’s winning’s last year: $1.44 million. Every player will tell you that Woods had something to do with that jump.
Glenn Lehrman, the head of communications for StubHub, the nation’s largest secondary ticket broker, said he has never seen one athlete have such a profound effect on interest and the market in general.
“The other big effect we’ll miss this week is, as Tiger gets into contention the prices go up dramatically,” Lehrman said. “Last year before they announced his two-stroke penalty, when he was still in relative contention, the price for a ticket Saturday went from $1,200 to $5,000. After they announced the penalty, it went back down to $1,500. He has that kind of dramatic impact. There’s no close second. Derek Jeter can have an impact, but not that significant because the Yankees are still a brand. Prices go down when LeBron (James) doesn’t play. But nothing is like Tiger.”
It’s still the Masters. It’s just the Masters at wholesale.
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