“I’m buying practice round tickets. I’m buying regular tournament badges.”
3rd (local time) at 6:30 am. Signs like this were packed on both sides of the road leading to Augusta National GC in Georgia, USA. It was an early hour before the sun rose, but there were not a few people who came out and waved signs. It was a scene that signaled the beginning of the ‘Masters Week’, which began in earnest with the practice round on this day.
The Masters, announcing the start of this year’s major tournaments, is considered the tournament that golf fans most want to attend. This is because it is an opportunity to directly see Augusta National GC, a mystical club operated by a strict membership system only once a year, and at the same time, it is a ‘great competition’ in which only 89 of the best golfers representing the present era participate.
Getting a Masters ticket is equivalent to ‘picking stars in the sky’. It was in 1934 that Augusta National GC first started the Masters tournament. At the time, tickets were not selling well, so Augusta National GC ‘Eupso’ sold tickets to local hotels and companies. In difficult times, the people who bought tickets for the Masters were the most important beings who helped organize the tournament. In order not to forget this, Masters refers to visitors as ‘patrons’ rather than ‘galleries’.
Unlike other tournaments that sell tickets to general fans each year, Augusta National GC sells tickets only to those who qualify. The problem is that the ‘Patronist’ with this qualification was closed in 1972. When there is someone who leaves the existing Patron list, the next person on the waiting list has a chance to join, but it rarely comes out. Fortunately, tickets for the practice rounds are sold after pre-registration online. There is not a single on-site sale. 토토사이트
Because of this, Masters tickets can only be obtained through online ticket auctions or scalpers. It is not a problem to run directly from a distant place and wait from dawn to obtain Masters tickets. A man waving a sign from the morning on the roadside in downtown Augusta introduced himself as “I’m from Alabama to get tickets for the Masters.” He even asked a reporter, “Do you have Masters tickets? I’m really envious. How much can I buy them for?”
The price of scalping tickets is rising steeply every year. In particular, when a ‘big shot’ such as ‘golf emperor’ Tiger Woods (47, USA) participates or their performance is expected, it soars to the ceiling in an instant.
This year, as Woods’ participation has become a fait accompli, the ticket price is exceeding the all-time high. According to the secondary market site StubHub, tickets for Wednesday, the last official practice day, have surpassed $4,000 as of 4:00 pm on the 3rd. This is five times the official price of $80. Compared to 2019, when it was traded in the $2,000 range, it has doubled. All-day tickets for rounds 1-4 of the Masters are over $26,000.