2 weeks Ago
AUGUSTA, Ga. — It’s a tradition unlike any other. The final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur on April 5 also meant it was the first day of shopping for Masters Tournament merchandise.
Patrons arrived well ahead of the 7 a.m. gate opening to get in line so they could have the first crack at the items in the large Golf Shop.
At the top of the list for many was the gnome, a Masters favorite since it was first introduced in 2016. The item retails for $49.50 plus tax.
Michelle Percival traveled all the way from Modoc, S.C., to obtain one along with several other items.
“It really was on my bucket list,” she said. The theme for the gnome this year is a Masters concession item: the Georgia Peach Ice Cream sandwich. The bearded gnome is wearing khaki slacks, a light blue shirt and holding the ice cream sandwich.
The same shirt, which is decorated with the ice cream sandwich, peaches and the Masters logo, is available for sale in the merchandise shop. Dana Boetsch, who resides in Aiken, arrived too late to get a gnome but checked off several items on her shopping list. “We got here around 7:45 and got in the shop around 9:50,” she said.
“I was looking for a straw hat, pullovers and T-shirts. We did not luck out with the gnome.” One of her friends was able to purchase a miniature gnome, which is dressed in a caddie uniform.
“We know we have to get here earlier,” she said. Two friends from Augusta, Katie Grant and Abbey Melvin, also struck out on the gnome. But they made up for it with several other purchases.
“Normally my staples are a hat for the year and I also have the small plush bears from every year since I was born,” Grant said. “So I had to add to the collection.” Melvin said she was trying to get a gnome and a flag for her home.
“I just kind of blacked out and got a little bit of everything,” she said. “I spent a lot of money, but that’s OK. It only happens once a year so I’m OK with that.
” While the golfers who made the cut for the final round competed at Augusta National, the competition was equally fierce to get in the merchandise area. The check stand, where patrons can leave items, was closed early because of the volume of shoppers. Caps, shirts, drinkware, jewelry and golf accessories – all with the Masters logo – were among the popular items that were restocked throughout the day.
But the gnome, as in years past, was put out in limited quantities and vanished from the shelves early in the day. “It’s just a must-have item,” Percival said. “I feel like it’s the Masters mascot.
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