Former Augusta National Employee Charged With Stealing Millions Worth Of Masters Memorabilia

Published|Updated

Outside of stepping foot on the hollowed ground and laying your own eyes on the property of Augusta National, one of the most unique experiences about attending a Masters in person is the shopping experience. 

Augusta National does not directly sell any Masters gear online. The only way you can get your hands on something with the Masters logo on it is by purchasing it inside the gates or on the secondary market, which is a booming yet highlly-criticized business with insane markups on just about every item imaginable.

This is where 39-year-old Robert Globensky steps in. He decided to create his own process of acquiring Masters gear and making a buck off of it, but in a highly-illegal way.

Globensky, a former employee of Augusta National Golf Club, was charged in federal court in Chicago this week for stealing millions of dollars worth of Masters memorabilia over a 13-year period. According to the Chicago Tribune, Globensky had been transporting the stolen goods from Augusta to Tampa, Florida "knowing the same had been stolen, converted and taken by fraud."

It's unclear what type of items Globensky specifically stole and tried to flip, but given that his operation took place over the course of 13 years, it's a safe bet he had a plethora of items.

Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

The Masters sells about $10 million of merchandise per day during Masters week, totaling to approximately $70 million for the week.

While Augusta National is constantly making subtle changes to the golf course and fan experience, the main Masters shop on property underwent a major face lift ahead of the 2018 tournament.

When I say it's one of the most-impressive buildings I've ever stepped foot in, I'm not exaggerating. Patrons standing in line, actually a few different lines, for well over an hour just to get inside the building and spend ridiculous sums of money on hats, shirt, belts, everything in between, and even gnomes, is standard practice during tournament week.

Tags
Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.