Disputed 'Tiger Slam' irons fetch $57,242.40

There may be no way to conclude who is telling the truth in the dispute over the authenticity of the set of irons that former Titleist tour representative Steve Mata claims were used by Tiger Woods in achieving his so-called Tiger Slam in 2000-'01, but one anonymous bidder made a substantial bet on Mata early Sunday morning.

The Titleist irons in question were sold for $57,242.40 at greenjacketauctions.com after the regular bidding closed on Saturday evening with a high bid of $49,776. Only those who previously had submitted a bid were allowed to continue bidding in a private session that ended at 2:45 (EDT) on Sunday.

Woods has said that the irons aren't those he used to win four consecutive major championships, that he has those irons in his possession. Mata, who once worked closely with Woods on his Titleist clubs, said that when he delivered a new set of irons to Woods in 2001 that Tiger gave him his old set.

Mata originally put up the irons for bid on eBay, for a starting bid of $250,000. When Woods disputed Mata's claims, eBay removed the listing.

-- John Strege