Where to Buy a Masters Green Jacket
Rory McIlroy now owns the 2025 Masters’ green jacket, overcoming Justin Rose to secure his first major championship in over a decade. As Agusta National’s latest victor, the tournament’s previous winners accompanied McIlroy on stage with a $4.2 million check and the Masters’ coveted green jacket—though he’ll only be able to take home the latter until its next iteration.
Contrary to a golfer’s career-defining feat, the winner of the latest Masters can only “borrow” the green jacket for a year following their victory. According to NBC Chicago, champions have “possessory rights” over the piece, and the institution owns the garment. Previous winners may wear their jackets during the festivities but must return them “where they will forever remain.”
Could the iconic hardware, apart from those stored in a cedar closet in the clubhouse, be acquired?
The short answer is no, though there have been a couple of slip-ups in the past.
Since 1967, Cincinnati-based Hamilton Tailoring Company has spearheaded its production. Regardless of the amount of Masters wins, champions receive one jacket with their name sewn inside. Green jackets previously emerged on the secondary market until Augusta National declared ownership of the memento in 2010, but that still didn’t stop the sale of the merchandise.
Golden Age Auctions (Green Jacket Auctions) sold numerous pieces following the declaration, including Horton Smith’s ($682,229), Doug Ford’s ($62,967), and Art Wall’s ($61,453). Previously purchased at a Toronto thrift store, Ford’s 1957 memorabilia sold for a whopping $5. The news became public in 1994 and sold in 2017, coining the “thrift store jacket” title. This was the final public sale of the item as Agusta National sued the auction house in the same year.
While there isn’t a distinct number, The Athletic reported a potential private sale for Arnold Palmer’s at $3.65 million. Luckily, the FBI intercepted the item, and the culprit, a former Augusta National employee, received a 12-month sentence after pleading guilty “to stealing items from the club valued at an estimated $5.3 million.”
Maybe it’s best to try your luck at the Masters instead…
