2001 UD Tour Time Sergio Garcia

Who is this? PGA and European Tour Golfer Sergio Garcia.
What is this? An autograph card from 2001 Upper Deck Tour Time.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed at the 2006 Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, MA.
How much did it cost? About 25 cents.

Why is this so special? A member of the PGA Tour since 1999, it is hard to believe that Sergio is still only 31 years-old. (He turns 32 on Monday 1/9/2012) Since turning pro, Garcia has earned over $28 million and won seven PGA Tour events, including the 2001 and 2004 Buick Classics, and the 2008 Players Championship. During that time he has also been one of the most dominant players on the European Tour.

Garcia was a phenom as a teen, becoming the youngest golfer to ever participate in the Ryder Cup as a 19 year-old in 1999. His early success and advanced skills made many think that he would be the biggest threat to Tiger Woods' dominance on tour, but he has often fallen short of expecations.

For a short time in 2011, Garcia actually walked away from golf. Fortunately, after some time away from the links, Garcia returned and has begun to remind fans why he was considered one of the best golfers in the world.

Sergio was nice enough to sign this card for me during a practice round at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He had just completed some practice on the putting green and was headed to the First Hole to tee-off and I was the only fan there at the time.

2001 Upper Deck Golf Brad Faxon

Who is this? PGA Champions Tour Golfer Brad Faxon.
What is this? An autograph card from 2001 Upper Deck Golf
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by Brad Faxon at the 2009 Deutsche Bank Championship.
How much did it cost? About 25 cents.

Why is this so special? Brad Faxon was a member of the PGA tour from 1984 until 2010, winning a total of $17.76 million in earnings. Over the course of that time, Faxon won eight tournaments, including the 1991 and 2005 Buick Opens, the 1999 and 2000 B.C. Opens, and the International. In addition, Faxon was also a member of the Ryder Cup team, received the Payne Stewart Award in 2001, and lead the PGA Tour in putting multiple times.

When he turned 50 last August, Faxon joined the Champions Tour and wasted little time before making his mark, winning the Insperity Championship. That is projected to be just the first of many Champions Tour wins for Faxon.

Faxon was also nice enough to sign this 2001 Upper Deck Stat Leaders card for me.

2005 DBC Ticket Tiger Woods Autograph

Who is this? Tiger Woods.
What is this? An autograph ticket from the 2005 Deutsche Bank Championship Gold Tournament.
Where'd I get it? I got this ticket signed by Tiger during his practice round on August 31, 2005.
How much did it cost? My uncle got the ticket for me, and I think that it cost around $20.
Why is this so special? Tiger Woods is one of the greatest golfers of all-time and his autographs is one of the most difficult and valuable signatures of any modern athlete. While I do not support some of the decisions that he made off the course, watching Tiger golf was one of the best sports memories that I have ever had.

Tiger's signature is clear and legible and looks great on the ticket that features him and Vijay Singh. This is one of, if not THE, best autographs that I have ever got in-person and is one of the centerpieces of my collection.

Here is a close-up of Tiger's signature:

2001 Upper Deck Golf Stewart Cink

Who is this? PGA Tour Golfer Stewart Cink.
What is this? An autograph card from 2001 Upper Deck Golf.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by Stewart Cink after the second round at the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2007, when he did not make the cut.
How much did it cost? I paid about 10 cents for it at a local card shop along with a dozen or so other golf cards before the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Why is this so special? The Deutsche Bank Championship is played at the Tournament Players Club of Boston in Norton, MA near where I grew up and even closer to where I now live. I used to go to a practice round and one official round of the Deutsche Bank Championship with my Uncle and cousin over Labor Day weekend. Stewart Cink's autograph is special because, despite not making the cut at the 2007 Deutsche Bank, he won the 2009 British Open Championship and has won over $30 million in career PGA tour earnings. I like the way that the 2001 Upper Deck Golf cards look and the autograph fits nicely on the card.