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Punters are paying more than ($1,250) £1,000 to watch practice rounds at this year’s Masters.
In secondary markets, the average price of a pass to watch the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka tour Augusta National in the build-up to Thursday’s start has hit a record high of $1,350 (£1,074).
This is an increase of more than a quarter on last year, as the competition’s popularity shows few signs of declining.
The Masters, seen as a bucket-list event for many, limits the number of attendees to 40,000 per day, with 2 million reportedly entering the annual ticket lottery each year.
And with demand far outstripping supply, many apparently view practice days (Monday through Wednesday) as a more realistic opportunity to set foot on the famous turf.
Punters are paying more than ($1,250) £1,000 to watch practice rounds at this year’s Masters.
Rory McIlroy is among the big names preparing for this year’s tournament in Augusta
The vast majority of those attending are from the US, with UK golf fans recording the largest number of ticket purchases from abroad. Visitors residing in Britain pay an average of $1,990 (£1,580) to attend.
Cris Miller of ticket marketplace viagogo said: “The Masters is the definition of a bucket-list event with many sponsors pulling out all the stops to make a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Augusta National, one of the courses of most beautiful and demanding golf courses in the world.
“Despite the much-publicized battles off the golf course, viagogo has seen unprecedented demand for tickets in the US and internationally, with golf enthusiasts desperate to attend the first major of the year and see the best players in the world to try to win the iconic green jacket. .
‘Practice rounds are proving to be a popular way to access Augusta’s hallowed turf, and this can be seen in a 26 percent year-over-year increase in the average price of these passes.
“The scarcity of Masters tickets, along with the unique on-course fan experience, is key to the tournament’s enduring appeal, which exists far beyond the profile of any individual golfer or rivalry.”
It is reported that 2 million golf fans participate each year in the annual Masters ticket lottery.