Tiger Woods' 2002 backup putter sells for $393K, believed to be record

A 2002 Scotty Cameron backup putter used by Tiger Woods was sold at auction on Sunday for $393,300, which is believed to be the most expensive golf club ever sold.

-The auction was held by Golden Age Golf Auctions. It has spent the last 18 years in the Far East, the Middle East and Europe and two days before the auction launched, it cleared customs en route to the warehouse, the auction house said. The company shared the backup red dot putter in New York City.

The putter is from 2002 and was produced by Cameron for Woods. It's a Newport II 2002 model and was never used in play. The backup was used by Woods to practice and experiment with; it was called into tournament use only when needed. Cameron produced one of two "backup" putters for Woods each year they worked together, per Golden Age Golf Auctions.

Ryan Carey, co-owner of Golden Age Golf Auctions, said it is widely believed there are only around seven genuine Tiger red dot "backups" in existence, per ESPN. The putter came with a 2003 letter from Cameron stating its authenticity.

A backup from the 2001 season sold for $154,928. Pieces of Woods' collection are rare to find at auction, per Golf Digest.

The most expensive piece in the auction was Gary Player's 1974 Masters Trophy. It went for $523,483.20 with the buyer's premium and is believed to be the second-highest price paid for golf memorabilia. A 1904 Olympic games golf trophy that belonged to Warren Wood also sold at a high price point: $493,777.20, via ESPN.