John Daly's Claret Jug has been put up for auction once again. It was sold by the golfer in April 2015. This time, his trophy has been put up for auction by its current owner through Golden Age Auctions. Daly won the 1995 Open Championship held at the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, thus receiving the opportunity to lift the famous Claret Jug.
Daly's win was special as it was his second, and eventually final, Major victory after his 1991 PGA Championship. At the 1995 Open Championship, he carded 67 and 71 in the first two rounds, leading at the halfway mark in the tournament. However, he lost the lead after he scored 73 in the third round.
Daly regained his lead in the fourth round and was on the top of the leaderboard till the 71st hole. Italian player Constantino Rocca needed a birdie to tie with Daly on the final hole, and after a poor pitch not much hope seemed left for him. Rocca went on to miraculously tie Daly by sinking a 65-foot putt.
Daly won the tournament in a four-hole aggregate playoff. The scores of the playoff round were as follows:
- John Daly, 4-3-4-4—15
- Constantino Rocca, 5-4-7-3—19
Admiring the Claret Jug after winning the tournament, he said (via The Open):
"The names that are on here, it’s unbelievable to be a part of it."
He also said (via Los Angeles Times):
"To win here at St. Andrews is a lifetime dream for anybody. And mine’s come true today."
John Daly won a prize money of $125,000 for winning the 1995 Open Championship. Incidentally, his 1995 performance is his only top-10 finish at the tournament. In the last six appearances at the Open Championship, he has failed to make the cut.
John Daly's Claret Jug put up for auction Golden Age Auctions
The winner of the Open Championship receives the Claret Jug. The winning golfer has to return the original trophy to R&A after a year. A replica of the trophy, 90% of the size of the original, is given to the golfer at that point.
John Daly's Claret Jug has been put up for auction for the second time. Daly sold the trophy in 2015. The owner of the trophy has put it up for auction through Golden Age Auctions.
The bids started at $500 and at the time of writing, 58 bids have been made with the current bid standing at $78,238. The Golden Age Auctions site mentioned the following details about the auctioned item:
"This players trophy is sterling silver (hallmarked), and measures 12 1/4" tall. The magnificent case measures 14 1/4" x 8 1/2", and is embossed with the R&A logo on its silk-lined interior."
Furthermore, the winner of the bid will also receive a letter of authenticity and provenance signed by Daly.
In July this year, South African player Gary Player's Claret Jug was sold at auction for a whopping $481,068.