How Much an Autograph From a Teenage Tiger Woods is Worth Today
In 1992, Tiger Woods made his first PGA Tour appearance at the Nissan Open. He was only 16, an amateur among seasoned professionals, and far from the global icon he would become.
At that event, he signed a spectator ticket and added the words “16 years.” Similar tickets from his debut have since appeared at major auctions, with past sales ranging from the mid-$17,000s to over $100,000, based on condition and authentication.
Reasons Why His First PGA Tour Match Was So Special
Making a PGA Tour debut as a teenager is extraordinary in itself. After all, most golfers spend years competing in amateur circuits or college tournaments before earning the chance to play alongside professionals. At just 16, the athlete stepped into that environment at the 1992 Nissan Open and became one of the youngest players ever to appear in a Tour event.
Fans and reporters wanted to see how a high school student would handle a professional stage, and Woods delivered with composure that far exceeded his age. For this reason, the ticket signed at that event carries a lot of weight. A recent comparison shows a full Nissan Open ticket with a contemporary Woods signature, personalised “To Aidan,” selling for $21,167 earlier this month.
Why Collectors Value This Signature
Tiger Woods’ autographs already bring in significant sums at auction. A golf ball he signed during the 1997 Masters sold for more than $64,000. Meanwhile, a signed and inscribed Master’s flag brought in $85,000 at Heritage Auctions in 2021.
Signed jerseys appear less often in auctions compared to flags or balls, and their values vary widely, with some sales reaching several thousand dollars when verified by major authentication services. On this note, autographed photos and magazines are usually valued within the same range. Their prices are influenced by the subject matter, condition, and the strength of authentication.
Those numbers prove how valuable his signature has become in general, but the Nissan Open ticket is tied to a milestone moment in Woods’ career. Collectors see that as a rare, historic link that no later autograph can match.
What Tiger Woods Means to His Fans
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Peetlesnumber1
There aren’t many athletes like Tiger Woods who have managed to completely reshape the perception of their sport. With 82 PGA Tour wins and 15 major championships, his record places him among the greatest in history, but his true influence lies in how he expanded golf’s reach to global audiences.
His battles with injuries and personal setbacks, followed by dramatic returns to competition, only deepened his connection with fans. That combination of dominance and resilience makes his autograph so valuable.