Gary Player’s Claret Jug fetches eye-watering sum at auction

You can’t put a price on winning a major championship.

Some of the best players to ever tee it up haven’t achieved the feat, and only six men have won all four.

But what if we told you that you could actually buy one? The trophy, that is.

Well, one person has done just that and spent a fair few quid on Gary Player’s replica Claret Jug from his win at Royal Lytham in 1974.

It was the South African’s third after being named the Champion Golfer of 1959 and 1968 at Muirfield and Carnoustie, respectively.

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And to get a hold of his last Jug, one golf enthusiast coughed up $481,068.

Winners of The Open keep the original Claret Jug for one year before returning it and taking home a replica of the most famous piece of golf silverware.

It stands at 19in tall and is only 10% smaller than the trophy itself.

The replica in question was listed by Golden Age Auctions – who advised it is the only Claret Jug it has ever brought to auction.

The listing reads: “The rarity of official large Claret Jugs like this cannot be overstated.

“Though we’ve had the privilege of offering seven different Masters Tournament trophies for auction over the years, this is the ONLY official large Claret Jug that we’ve ever brought to auction.

“To many collectors, an official Claret Jug is unquestionably golf collecting’s Holy Grail.”

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Player’s success in 1974 was one of the most dominant of his career. He went wire-to-wire for a four-shot win and was the only player to finish under-par.

His replica was owned and displayed by Player’s golf course design company for years and was engraved with the Champions through 2006.

The auction started at a mere $5,000 before 39 total bids were submitted.

It’s the latest piece of memorabilia to fetch mega bucks. In 2022, Tiger Woods’ Slam irons sold for a record $5,156,162 at Golden Age Auctions.

The previous high before that was Horton Smith’s Green Jacket, which sold for $682,000 in 2013.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.