Golf pro’s 92-year-old gran refuses to sell house to Augusta National despite Masters’ $200m expansion
A 92-YEAR-OLD grandmother is stilling refusing to sell her house for an inflated price worth millions to Augusta National.
Since 1999, owners of the historic golf tournament have expanded their reach by an extra 270 acres after splashing out $200million (£157m) on Augusta properties, according to the Wall Street Journal.
But Elizabeth Thacker and her late husband Herman, who died in 2019 aged 86, have repeatedly turned down seven-figure offers from Augusta National for their home.
The couple lived in the home at 1112 Stanley Road in Augusta, Ga. and raised their kids there.
And their grandson, professional PGA golfer Scott Brown, also spent most of his time there as a child, NJ.com reported.
Built in 1959 by Herman, the three-bedroom home sits just steps from Gate 6 of the iconic course.
But as the home of the Masters has expanded, it bought up the entire neighbourhood around the Thackers’ home, spending more than $40 million in the past decade to bulldoze them.
The couple’s daughter Robin said that Augusta has made multiple offers over the years above the home’s estimated value.
But while, most neighbours took the money and relocated, the Thackers didn’t flinch.
Still, the late Herman Thacker told NJ.com in 2017 that the couple was staying put because “money ain’t everything.”
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The club hoped to use the land for more parking and hospitality areas.
But despite moving into a care home, Elizabeth has no plans to sell up and intends to keep the unassuming three-bedroom house in her family.
Pro golfer Brown opened up on his family’s persistent refusal to sell the house, just a couple of days before Rory McIlroy won the 2025 Masters.
Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: ‘Basically, they used to have 11 months of privacy because everything else got bought up.
“They would just brush away the question of ‘Should we sell?’.
“But they could never find anywhere else they wanted to go. They fell in love with the place.”
However, the family did fetch a sizeable sum from a second smaller property nearby where Brown lived during his years at college — and were rewarded for their patience.
The Thackers ended up selling the nearby home for $1.2million (£935,000).
Brown added: “The best thing my grandparents ever did is hold out because some of the original offers were pretty laughable compared with what the final few houses went for.
“I think it started out at a few hundred thousand and some ended up going into the millions.
“He (Herman) took care of me with buying clubs and balls, took me to all the tournaments, and loved watching me play.
“Every year they had tickets for the Masters and one of our traditions was going over there on Sunday, sitting on 16 and watching every group come through. We did that for 18 years until I turned pro.”
Brown, 41, once rose as high as 107 in the world rankings after winning the 2013 Puerto Rico Open ahead of runner-up Jordan Spieth.
He is now outside golf‘s top 2,000, but finished 13th at the PGA Championships in 2017. He’s never qualified to play at the Masters.
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The fans’ favourite fell to his knees and roared in celebration after beating Justin Rose in a dramatic play-off.
McIlroy later broke down in an emotional TV interview as he said: “A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it.”
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