Archive for golf
Brag Photo: Tiger’s Masters Gear Arrives at Upper Deck Headquarters
Posted by: | CommentsCollectors love to get a great trading card or piece of memorabilia in the mail from a recent acquisition, and at Upper Deck we feel the same way when we get something unique in house. And imagine how cool it was for us to receive in all four shirts that Tiger Woods wore during the 2011 Masters along with several other unique items from this legend of the links.
Upper Deck Authenticated is the exclusive provider of tournament-worn memorabilia and autographs for Tiger Woods and soon these items will be signed and available for purchase from UDA. We received them back with clear evidence of wear with sweat marks on many of the garments. While some would prefer we launder these items prior to sale, the fact they come with these marks adds additional authenticity to the fact they were worn by Tiger so we have no plans to have them cleaned before they are signed.
Tim Doull of Upper Deck Authenticated holds the shirt Tiger Woods wore in the final round of the 2011 Masters.
In the meantime, check out this video where you can see many of the items we received from Tiger Woods for use in this program. Should you have any questions about how you may be able to acquire items like this of Tiger Woods and other athletes, please contact us at (800)551-8220.
What do you think? Would you want these items laundered before Tiger Woods signs them? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Brag Photo: Legends Of Sport Red Variation Piece Arrives
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Behold the Legends of Sport Red Variation
The arrival of the Legends of Sport Red Variation piece at Upper Deck offices today has ruined productivity. Staff are having a hard time not stopping by to take a look at it and once they start checking it out, they find it difficult to stop. It is almost like the images and signatures Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have them hypnotized. They stand admiring the piece, wishing they could own one, but knowing they likely will not. A manager steps in to shepherd the staff admiring the piece back to work, but now he is transfixed by the piece as well.
Worse than rubberneckers adding to traffic on the freeway, staff found themselves lost in the piece
Autographs of the greatest athletes don’t come easy and they are not cheap. When you have a special piece like this featuring authentic autographs of three of the greatest athletes of all-time limited to just 100 copies, it’s easy to understand that this item isn’t for everyone. It just can’t be.
More than just a talking piece, a true piece of sports history
A piece like this would be considered the holy grail to a collector lucky enough to possess it and they will have their chance when they go live on Upper Deck’s online store the first week of February. It carries a suggested retail price of $7000. This limited-edition item can also be procured by contacting Upper Deck Authenticated at (800)551-8220 early next week.
"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'" - Muhammad Ali
"I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results." - Michael Jordan
"No matter how good you get you can always get better and that's the exciting part." - Tiger Woods
With an exclusive memorabilia deal with Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, collectors will not find an authentic piece like this from anyone else than Upper Deck Authenticated. This is your opportunity to own the world’s greatest memorabilia featuring the world’s greatest athletes. Invest in your passion.
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Tiger’s Return: Out of Sorts, Not Out of Synch
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If you watched the final round of the Masters on Sunday, you couldn’t help but root for eventual winner Phil Mickelson at the same time you were probably hoping Tiger Woods would catch him. These two great golfers staged incredible final rounds at Augusta, but Phil’s five-stroke lead over Woods in the end was simply too much to overcome. The latter had run out of holes and chances by the time he was walking up to the 18th green. And for us at Upper Deck, it was another chance to root for the guy who has signed autographs exclusively for us since 2001.
Tiger's Signed 2005 Masters Pin Flag.
To watch Tiger’s return to Augusta this past week was to watch a man seeking redemption out on the golf course, his preferred sanctuary. Like the Tiger of old, he came out with both guns blazing on Thursday, posting his best-ever first-round score: 68. Despite all the peripheral noise that has enveloped his life since the infamous car crash back on November 27, Woods appeared focused, determined and just four strokes off the lead. It was good to see him back in the thick of things; I couldn’t help but find myself trying to count how many bogeys Phil would need to register and birdies by Tiger to lock things up.
Despite his valiant play, staying in contention but never sitting atop the leader board, Tiger could never close the gap. When Sunday’s final round began, he once again found himself four strokes back, trying to catch the likes of Lee Westwood and Mickelson. He got as close as three strokes off the pace, but couldn’t get any closer. And when he bogeyed No. 14 – putting himself back to -7 – his quest for a 15th major and fifth green jacket had pretty much ended.
Tiger during Round 2 action at Augusta on Friday.
By contrast, Mickelson, who himself had endured a tumultuous year with both this wife and mother contracting breast cancer and battling just to stay alive, was hitting the shots of his life from the most precarious lies and found himself at -15 as he approached the 18th tee. A miraculous second shot from 207 yards out on 13, a lie that had his ball resting on straw behind a pair of trees, sealed the deal for Lefty. He split the trees and laid it up three feet from the hole. He two-putted, but the MoJo was working. Mickelson would not be denied this day. His third green jacket was just five holes away.
Speaking of five, that’s how many strokes Woods finished behind Mickelson. Not bad for a guy who hadn’t played competitively for 144 days, not since winning the 2009 Australian Masters on November 15. But not enough to put him back atop the golf world just yet.
We’re still waiting for No. 15 to happen, and when it does, watch out. We’ll continue to root for El Tigre. Even with the obstacles, he will win again and when he eventually surpasses Jack Nicklaus’s all-time majors’ mark of 18, the golf world will once again be re-energized. Despite what you think of the man, the competitor named Tiger Woods is good for golf. He brings his “A” game every time out and battles tooth and nail. And in the end, that’s really the reason we watch. Because guys like Tiger and Phil can make magic happen with a golf club.
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Brag Photo: Guess Who’s Back . . . Back Again
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s a good look at the tools of the trade we have here at Upper Deck:
The shirt you see here is what Tiger wore in his last round of competitive golf at the Australian Masters, making it a very significant item. Oh, and he’ll be signing it for us in about two weeks.
What’s even more important is that Tiger will be making his return to competitive play a little more than a week from now. Upper Deck has been affiliated with Tiger for almost a decade now, and we’re very excited to see him back in action.
Oh, and about the items above? The polo and glove are available now through Upper Deck Customer Service at 1-800-551-8220. The other items will be available on our online store soon. And the ball? It was hit by Tiger himself at a range, and will be available in one of these:
You’ve seen us show off this new curve display for hockey before, but this is the first time we’ve shown it on the blog for golf. A great item for any Tiger fan, for sure. It comes with an autograph, and this one will be limited to only 50. And hey, check out the shirt he’s wearing in the photo! Stay tuned, this item will be released the week of the Masters.
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Tiger’s Return to Augusta
Posted by: | CommentsNews flash: Golfing great Tiger Woods is returning to competitive play very soon. The 2010 Masters Tournament in Augusta next month (April 8-11) will be the venue of choice. It makes perfect sense for Tiger to make his much-anticipated return at the celebrated Masters. While it will undoubtedly be a media circus, it’s also the site of his very first major win (1997) and has been a rewarding course for Woods as he’s emerged victorious at the tournament four times overall.
This is all good news for Upper Deck as we’ve had Tiger under exclusive contract for signed memorabilia since 2001. We’ve been able to chronicle his many victories out on the links and watch his march to greatness at every course from Augusta to St. Andrews. Our assortment of Tiger-signed memorabilia shows his fist pump celebration at the ’97 Masters to his memorable playoff round victory over Rocco Mediate at the 2008 U.S. Open. And remember, he won the latter tournament at Torrey Pines with torn ligaments in his left knee!
Tiger’s return to the links is a good thing for the sport and for the collectibles industry. Why just this morning, upon news of Woods’ return, eBay was awash with postings reading: “Need Masters Tickets.” One solicitor even stated he was willing to pay $9,999.99 for tickets to all seven days of the tournament. Just being able to catch a glimpse of Tiger back in his element is enough for some fanatics to forego the family’s planned vacation to Yosemite and head to Georgia instead.
The sports collectibles industry is built around great athletes performing great things out on their chosen field of play. For Tiger the artist, using his golf clubs to drive, chip and putt represent his style of paint brushes rolling across canvases called Shinnecock Hills, Pebble Beach and Whistling Straits. The golf world has been without Tiger’s fire out on the links for the past four months and has missed it considerably. Because in every tournament he plays, TV ratings go higher, galleries get bigger, and the audience of collectors who seek out Tiger keepsakes and mementoes grows right along with it.
We look forward to chronicling Tiger’s continued march to greatness as he goes after major victory No. 15 next month. With Jack Nicklaus’s all-time mark of 18 majors still within striking distance, the anticipation, excitement and cheers surrounding Tiger’s pursuit just got a lot louder today.
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