10 Sep 2013

Green Jacket sells at auction

6:09 am on 10 September 2013

The green jacket owned by the first winner of the US Masters golf tournament, Horton Smith, has sold at auction for 850 thousand dollars.

Smith's jacket, a 43 long, was believed to be lost, but last month the auction house received a call from a distant family member who lives near Atlanta. The jacket had been hanging in a closet for decades.

Smith won the first Masters, then known as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament, in 1934.

Augusta National Golf Club didn't begin awarding green jackets to champions until 1949, starting with Sam Snead.

But the club did give jackets to the nine Masters winners from 1934-48, including Smith.

According to Green Jacket Auctions, the 850 thousand dollars received for Smith's jacket was the highest price paid for a piece of golf memorabilia.