Rory McIlroy's Open Championship ball achieves $52,000 at Green Jacket

Rory McIlroy's tournament winning ball from the 2014 Open Championship has sold for $52,038 in an online sale at Green Jacket Auctions that closed on August 11.

The auction house put out an appeal after McIlroy - who added the PGA Championship on Sunday -  triumphantly threw the ball into the crowd following his victory at Hoylake, offering $10,000 to the finder.

McIlroy golf
McIlroy with the now world famous golf ball

"We immediately took to Twitter to tell our loyal followers, as well as several prominent sportswriters, that we had a mission for them: Find. That. Ball," explained Green Jacket.

"We quickly learned about the gentleman who caught the ball, Lee Horner of Leeds, England, and began negotiations to obtain it for our auction.

"This is a ball that will only gain in significance for the next 20, 50, even 100 years. In the collecting world, this is what's called a "dream piece" - something that no one could ever expect would become available for sale."

Lee Horner told ESPN: "When Rory threw the ball, it hit me in the hand and then fell down. There was a kerfuffle, but I managed to get it and hold it in the air and the crowd went crazy."

The lot is now the world's second most valuable golf ball, eclipsed only by a Bobby Jones-signed ball that made $55,865 at Green Jacket in 2011.

We have a selection of golf memorabilia available, including this glove signed by both Tiger Woods and Steve Williams.

Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about sports memorabilia auctions.

Featured products

Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Sale price£399
In stock
Fidel Castro signed certificateFidel Castro Signed Certificate
Fidel Castro signed certificate
Sale price£2,995
In stock
King Henry VIII Autographed DocumentKing Henry VIII Autographed Document
King Henry VIII Autographed Document
Sale price£55,000
In stock