If Tiger Plays, 2018 Masters Tickets Could Be Most Expensive Ever

February 27, 2018 by Douglas A. McIntyre

Tiger Woods won four Masters Tournaments – the last one in 2005. But every time he plays, the crowds come out, so no one is happier than the men in the green jackets that Woods, who is trying to fashion a comeback from back various injuries, has The Masters on his radar.

“I’m just trying to build towards April,” Woods said in a press conference at Torrey Pines in January. “…I’m looking forward to playing a full schedule and getting ready for the Masters. That’s just been my schedule and my outlook from ’96-on … to try and get ready for Augusta, and there’s no reason to change that.”

Woods has played in three PGA Tour events so far in 2018.

With the specter of Woods returning to Augusta, ticket prices for tournament on the secondary market are high, according to data from TicketIQ.com. Woods has played in 20 Masters Tournaments, the most recent in 2015, when the average price of a tournament for a single-day ticket (not including practice days) was $1,513.46. That number was down from $2,161.72 in 2013 when Tiger was in the mix on the weekend, ultimately finishing tied for fourth.

But those numbers are low compared to the current average asking price for a single-day ticket on the secondary market for the 2018 edition – a whopping $2,948.42. A week-long tournament badge is currently priced at $10,134.88. Last year, the price to walk outside the ropes for a week cost fans an average of $3,721.71, but the last time Tiger played – in 2015 – that number was $5,605.86.

As the tournament approaches, fans will find the best deal for the first practice day (Monday), according to TicketIQ.com, for which the average asking price is $722.98, but all of the players aren’t typically on site in time for that first round. The average asking price jumps to $1,154.90 to Tuesday and $2,041.58 for Wednesday, the day of the annual Par-3 Tournament.

The highest-priced ticket on a competition day is currently $4,837.42 for Thursday and it falls off through Sunday – though prices will likely head back up again once the field is set, when Tiger commits (or doesn’t), and even during the tournament, when it’s clear who will contend.

Whether Tiger will play or not, just the speculation that he will is enough to get fans excited. Woods won the Masters in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005, tying him with Arnold Palmer for the second-most victories. Jack Nicklaus won six.

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