gnome sweet gnome
Masters 2024: The cult-like Masters Gnome has started selling out within an hour of the merchandise shop opening
Andrew Redington
When you’re hot, you’re hot. And at the moment, nothing matters more at Augusta National than this little Masters Garden Gnome. The tchotchke has become as sought after as the green jacket and nearly as difficult to get one’s hands on.
First sold in 2016, the gnome has become a cult-like object, especially when considering the yearly tweaks that make this collectible all the more limited. This year’s "special guest" had an entire rollout on social media and sports a blue cardigan, a white Masters bucket hat and blue-and-green plaid pants. If this gnome were to come to life, it would look eerily similar to a lot of the patrons trying to buy the knickknack.
The gnome isn’t just for us plebes as even golf royalty and high-profile celebrities have been trying to get their hands on one. It was reported that Niall Horan of One Direction fame and Italian jockey Frankie Dettori were waiting in line trying to buy the hot $49.95 item. Jessica Hadwin is in “love” with him and even made one fan’s day by buying a gnome and mailing it to them from the merch shop.
Perhaps the best gnome anecdote is from James Colgan’s piece on José Andrés, the celebrity chef behind Jon Rahm's Masters Champions Dinner. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on the Spaniard’s sense of humor), “fans began approaching him with Sharpies and the tournament-issued gnomes. They thought the club had hired the chef to dress like a garden ornament.”
Perhaps due to the José Andrés bump, the gnomes have been selling out in record time with reports that they have disappeared in minutes, depending on the day. 2016 gnomes are now being sold online for just under $7,000, and this year’s iteration is already going for $300 on resale.
This two-foot-tall object is the talk of Augusta and may be what allows Augusta National to take over all of Georgia. Yes, the gnome is on t-shirts, but it’s not the same. If you’re at Augusta National and have a chance, there’s nothing more important than buying a gnome. Not everyone gets the charm, including our own Christopher Powers, but that’s okay. More gnomes for the rest of us.
Now, for those of you who have made it to the end of the article, you may be wondering if this is a shameless way for me to throw my name into the Augusta National Gnome Lottery … and yes, yes it is. Someone out there, please send me a gnome. I’m sure Niall Horan is reading this. Appreciate you getting me one in advance.
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