On Exhibition · The Hall of Excellence

The 1934
Masters
Series Badge

Badge No. 1109 · 13 Authenticated Signatures
Bobby Jones · Horton Smith · Walter Hagen
JSA Full Letter · Original String Intact

“

For the first time in nine decades, visitors can view one of the rarest and most irreplaceable artifacts ever preserved from the world of sports. Proudly presented by The Azalea House.

Begin the Tour Meet the Signatories
Issued
1934
Signatures
13
Azalea Authenticated
Badge No. 1109 — 1934 Augusta National Invitation Tournament, front face
Located at The Hall of Excellence  ·  “Golf is the closest game to the game we call life.”  ·  

Get tickets to this year’s tournament

Buy Tickets Now
The Azalea House Collection Now On Exhibition

In 1934, the inaugural Masters champion, Horton Smith, earned $1,500 and a gold medal, claiming a place in sports history and beginning a tradition that would become one of golf’s greatest legacies.

A mile from the North Gate of Augusta National, The Azalea House has hosted Masters week guests, collectors, and journalists for more than two decades. Badge No. 1109 is its centerpiece.

Vintage Augusta National handshake
Augusta gallery crowd
Three green jackets

Get tickets to this year’s tournament

Buy Tickets Now

Get tickets to this year’s tournament

Buy Tickets Now
The Signatories

The Hands That Signed It

The thirteen men whose signatures adorned the first Masters badge were more than competitors—they were pioneers, visionaries, and champions who helped establish a tournament that would become one of the most revered traditions in sports. Every signature authenticated by JSA.

Bobby Jones portrait
Co-Founder · Augusta National

Bobby Jones

The only Grand Slam in golf history

The most successful amateur golfer there ever was — still to this day. He played part-time, beating the world’s best golfers on the links while practicing law during the rest of his time.

In 1930 he won all four majors in a single calendar year — the only Grand Slam ever achieved in the men’s game — then retired at 28 and co-founded Augusta National.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
Walter Hagen portrait
11 Major Championships

Walter Hagen

“The Haig” · Pioneer of the Pro Game

Hagen sits in third place all-time with 11 wins in the biggest tournaments — behind only Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

He never won at Augusta National, the one major that eluded him. But his showmanship and competitive fire dragged professional golf out of the caddie yard and into the front page.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
Horton Smith portrait
Inaugural Champion · 1934

Horton Smith

First man to win a major at Augusta

The very first player to ever win a national major at Augusta. He won 30 PGA tournaments in his career — and both of his majors were won at Augusta (1934, 1936).

Smith was the only golfer to beat Bobby Jones during Jones’s Grand Slam year of 1930. He played at every Masters until his passing in 1963 — a man who genuinely loved this place.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
Errie Ball portrait
Last Living Inaugural Competitor

Errie Ball

Born 1910 · Wales

At the time of his passing, Errie Ball was the very last golfer alive to have competed in the inaugural major at Augusta — a living link to the founding tournament.

A Welsh-born teaching pro who emigrated to the United States, he played in the first Masters and went on to a long career as one of the most respected club professionals in America.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
Al Watrous portrait
Tour Veteran · 1926 Open Runner-Up

Al Watrous

Won multiple events · Major near-miss

Watrous won multiple tournaments without ever capturing a major. He almost beat Bobby Jones in the final round of the 1926 Open — but, like so many others, couldn’t quite take Bobby down.

He came in 7th at the 1937 Masters, getting close but never quite over the top. The best came to Augusta then, and have ever since.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
Denny Shute portrait
Three-Time Major Champion

Denny Shute

Back-to-back PGA Champion · 1936, 1937

A name synonymous with major championships — though not the one played at Augusta. Shute is best remembered for his exploits at the PGA Championship.

For decades he was the only golfer ever to win that title back-to-back. Many years later, a player named Tiger Woods became the second.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
Billy Burke portrait
1931 U.S. Open Champion

Billy Burke

Played majors with two missing fingers

In golf you play it as it lays — and Burke embodied that. He lost two fingers on his left hand in an industrial accident and rebuilt his entire grip from scratch.

He still won the 1931 U.S. Open and reached the semifinals of the PGA Championship the same year — one of the great triumphs of adaptation in the game’s history.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
Ed Dudley portrait
Augusta National Head Pro

Ed Dudley

Augusta-born · 24 Major top-10s

A native Georgian and one of the steadiest players of the 1930s. Dudley finished in the top 10 in the majors 24 times — the most top-10s by anyone never to win one.

Augusta National’s first head professional, Dudley represented the very fabric of the club during its earliest days.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
Craig Wood portrait
Runner-Up · 1934

Craig Wood

1941 Masters & U.S. Open Champion

Lost the inaugural Masters by a single stroke. In 1935 he was about to win again — until Gene Sarazen’s double eagle at the 15th forced a playoff, which Sarazen won.

Wood eventually got his green jacket. In 1941 he won the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year — the first man to do so.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
George Dunlap portrait
U.S. Amateur Champion · 1933

George Dunlap

Top finisher in inaugural amateur ranks

Many of the men on this badge are household names. Dunlap represents the rest — the dedicated pros and amateurs whose careers deserve celebrating, even if history did not gild them.

He never finished higher than 34th in a major — doing so right here at Augusta in 1934 — but he did win the U.S. Amateur and played the game with conviction for decades.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
John Golden portrait
Working Tour Professional

John Golden

Best major finishes: T-5 U.S. Open · 3rd PGA

Some golfers chase glory. Others, like Golden, were working professionals — making a respectable living week to week, never quite landing the career-defining win, but persevering and carving out a name.

He never won at Augusta — tying for 21st in 1934 was his best — but he did finish 5th at the U.S. Open and 3rd at the PGA Championship.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
Paul Runyan portrait
1934 PGA Champion

Paul Runyan

“Little Poison” · Master of the Short Game

Known as “Little Poison,” Runyan overcame modest length off the tee with the finest short game of his era. In 1934 — the very year this badge was issued — he won the PGA Championship and topped the season’s money list.

He captured the PGA Championship a second time in 1938 and went on to become one of golf’s most revered teachers, his mastery around the greens still studied today.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
Inaugural Field · 1934

John Perelli

John Perelli was among the professionals on hand for the inaugural Augusta National Invitation Tournament in 1934, and one of the thirteen men whose signatures authenticate Badge No. 1109. Like many working club professionals of his generation, he left a lighter footprint in the record books than the headliners beside him — yet his signature endures as a verified part of the badge’s history.

Azalea Authenticated JSA Authenticated
JSA Full Letter · #YY70291

Authenticated, Front & Reverse

Every signature on Badge No. 1109 has been formally authenticated by James Spence Authentication — the leading sports-memorabilia authority — and documented in Full Letter #YY70291. The complete attribution is available upon request.

Get tickets to this year’s tournament

Buy Tickets Now
The Curator

Marcus Burnell &
The Azalea House

Marcus Burnell has spent more than 30 years at the center of Masters Tournament culture as owner and operator of The Azalea House, less than a mile from Augusta National’s North Gate.

Over those decades, Burnell has assembled what many collectors regard as one of the finest private Masters memorabilia collections in the world — vintage badges, programs, and signed artifacts spanning the tournament’s entire history.

Currently residing at the Hall of Excellence, this celebrated artifact invites guests to experience its history in person or explore its legacy online through this website.

Augusta National handshake
Vintage Augusta swing
Classic Masters moment
The Azalea House Collection

Get tickets to this year’s tournament

Buy Tickets Now
As Seen In

Press & Media Coverage

Golf Digest
How a $470k 1934 Masters badge ended up across the street from Augusta National
April 8, 2025
Read Article →
Golf Digest
This Augusta badge from 1934 (signed by Bobby Jones) is up for auction
April 12, 2024
Read Article →
Sports Collectors Daily
Badge Of Honor: Ticket From 1934 Masters Is Jewel of Marcus Burnell’s Collection
March 4, 2025
Read Article →
The Augusta Press
Rare 1934 signed Masters ticket on display at Azalea House
July 17, 2024
Read Article →
The Augusta Chronicle
Inside Azalea House: Marcus Burnell’s vintage Masters memorabilia collection
April 7, 2025
Read Article →
Azalea Hospitality (Official)
Home of The Azalea House Collection — Featuring The 1934 Masters Badge
azaleahospitality.com
Visit →

Get tickets to this year’s tournament

Buy Tickets Now

Thank You for Visiting.

Badge No. 1109 is a preserved piece of golf history, held within the Azalea House Collection archive and not available for purchase. If you’d like to authenticate an item — or you own a badge, ticket, or piece of memorabilia you’re considering selling — the Azalea House would be glad to hear from you.

Call (205) 627-8377 → Email the Azalea House →
2027 Masters Tickets

Contact the Azalea House

Planning to attend the 2027 Masters Tournament? Tell us what you’re looking for — tournament days, number of tickets, hospitality — and the Azalea House will follow up with you personally.

✓ Thank you — your inquiry has been received. The Azalea House will be in touch within 24 hours.