In April 2009, golf legend Arnold Palmer was seen getting his jacket collar fixed while posing with Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne on the first hole at Augusta National Golf Club. It is now reported that Palmer’s green jacket, among other stolen items, was transported and transferred by a former warehouse coordinator at Augusta National named Richard Brendan Globensky.
Globensky, who supervised the Masters merchandise sold each year, had access to the stolen merchandise and memorabilia. In a 2022 FBI operation, Palmer’s missing jacket was recovered during a private sale arranged by a member of Augusta National who knew it was missing. The collector verified the jacket’s authenticity and arranged for a sale for $3.6 million. However, upon leaving the seller’s house with the jacket, the buyer and collector were confronted by FBI agents who seized it and questioned the sellers.
Augusta National paid tribute to Palmer after his passing in 2016 by placing his jacket on a chair at the course during the Masters. Palmer had multiple Green Jackets, but it is believed that the one stolen in 2009 (from his 1958 Masters victory) was not one of his actual winner’s jackets.
