Masters merchandise frenzy as garden gnomes spark | Sports News

The Masters has arrived, and for quite a few patrons at Augusta National, the merchandise store is the primary stop after getting into the storied grounds.

Access to Masters memorabilia is among the many advantages of making the journey to this picturesque sanctuary nestled in a working-class metropolis in jap Georgia, the place one product has captured consideration more than every other — restricted version garden gnomes.

Augusta National initially launched a gnome in 2016 and has issued a restricted manufacturing run of the 13.5-inch collectible figurines yearly since 2018. They’re priced at $49.50, however their scarce availability — solely roughly 1,000 are provided each day during event week — has remodeled them into a coveted collectible.

The 2026 model, which options a bearded patron carrying a inexperienced and white Masters umbrella, has already surfaced on the resale market, with costs round $860.

The inaugural 2016 model, which sports activities a inexperienced and white sweater with a golf bag slung over the shoulder, can command roughly $10,000.

Consequently, many patrons have been eager to take part after the gates opened early on Monday, and a line 5 people broad and stretching a whole lot of yards quickly developed.

One security guard addressed the huge line of people, encouraging patrons that they “don’t need a gnome,” and suggesting they need to as an alternative expertise the sights and sounds of the course.

Augusta National workers intervened by shutting down the queue, with volunteers holding up indicators notifying patrons that entry to the reward store was no longer obtainable. It later reopened, although these on the finish confronted an prolonged wait.

The lucky few seen carrying as many as 4 gnomes after getting access to the reward store when doorways opened appeared delighted with what they’d purchased.

The eagerness to acquire a gnome has intensified this 12 months amid hypothesis that Augusta National will discontinue promoting the ceramic collectible figurines following this 12 months’s event, which kicks off Thursday.

The reasoning behind the Green Jackets’ choice to discontinue the gnomes hasn’t been publicly disclosed. However, the reselling for revenue and the fact that quite a few patrons are sacrificing their Augusta National expertise for the sake of buying have undoubtedly weighed on membership chairman Fred Ridley and his colleagues.

This is, after all, the event that maintains its ban on patrons bringing telephones onto the grounds, with media personnel restricted to utilizing them solely within the media middle. The strict coverage promotes residing within the second and prevents people from pursuing social media consideration by means of silly conduct.