In 2009, legendary golfer Arnold Palmer posed with Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne on the first hole at Augusta National Golf Club. Palmer had earned a green jacket as a four-time Masters champion, but it was reportedly stolen during a 13-year span.
The theft of Palmer’s green jacket was not mentioned by federal investigators or Augusta National Golf Club officials. However, in recent years, Richard Brendan Globensky was charged by federal authorities for transporting and transferring stolen merchandise and memorabilia from Augusta National Golf Club between 2009 and 2022. It is believed that Globensky, a former warehouse coordinator at Augusta National who oversaw Masters merchandise sales, had access to the stolen items.
In 2022, the stolen jacket was recovered in an FBI operation where a private sale was arranged. The buyer and collector met the seller, and after a deposit was paid, FBI agents seized the jacket and questioned the sellers. After Palmer’s passing in 2016, Augusta National honored him by draping his jacket on a chair during the Masters. Palmer had several Green Jackets, and the stolen one was believed to be from his 1958 Masters victory. It was not among his actual winner’s jackets.
