John Daly’s Claret Jug sold for HUGE price at auction

It is almost 30 years ago since the Wild Thing mastered the Home of Golf.

In the 1995 Open, John Daly defeated Costantino Rocca in a four-hole playoff at St Andrews to lift his second major title.

For that magical feat, he earned a maiden Claret Jug and a £125,000 winner’s cheque. Daly kept the original Claret Jug for one year and then, like all Champion Golfers, was handed a replica of the famous silver chalice to keep forever.

Two decades later, in 2015, he sold what many would see as a priceless bit of history to a consignor.

• Robert MacIntyre: ‘I couldn’t have scripted it!’

• Charley Hull demands extreme punishment for slow play offenders

And now, as part of the extraordinary Golden Ages Auctions featuring numerous famous pieces of golf memorabilia, the trophy has fetched almost $400,000.

After 73 bids across a ten day auction, the mystery winning bidder came in at $392,181.60.

That, ironically, is over three times more than the prize money Daly earned for his Old Course win.

The listing of Daly’s Claret Jug noted: “This players trophy is sterling silver (hallmarked), and measures 12 1/4″ tall (50% scale of permanent traveling Claret Jug). The magnificent case measures 14 1/4″ x 8 1/2”, and is embossed with the R&A logo on its silk-lined interior.

“Our consignor purchased this trophy directly from John Daly in 2015, and this trophy comes with a signed letter of authenticity and provenance from John Daly himself.”

• 6 big names at risk of losing their PGA Tour card

• Matt Wallace slammed for ‘unprofessional behaviour’

Not a bad reward, but not a bad price either.

For context, Gary Player’s 1974 jug from his win at Royal Lytham sold for over $480,000. At the time, Player filed legal action after claiming the sale was instigated without his permission.

Elswhere in the auction, Rocco Mediate’s Silver Medal from losing to Tiger Woods in the epic US Open playoff in 2008 fetched over $50,000. Mediate put the losing medal from that 18-hole Monday showdown up for auction himself.

Another big seller was the personal ball and glove used by Jack Nicklaus to win the 1972 Masters, which fetched just over $85,000.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.