Ken Venturi golf collection being auctioned off

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Ken Venturi’s 1956 low amateur medal for the Master Tournament. [Handout]
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Ken Venturi looks at his laptop as he gets ready to broadcast from the 10 green at the 2000 Masters. [Jonathan Ernst/FILE]
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Amateurs Billy Joe Patton and Ken Venturi at the Masters in 1956. [FILE]

Ken Venturi was one of the most successful amateurs in Masters history. Not only did he take low amateur in the 1956 Masters, he carried a four stroke lead into the final round over Cary Middlecoff.

He held on for a runner-up spot, shooting a 290, one stroke behind Jack Burke Jr., who started the round eight strokes behind Venturi.

Now, 64 years later, Venturi’s gold medal for low amateur is being auctioned off by his wife, Kathleen, on The Golf Auction site. The medal is part of the Ken Venturi collection being auctioned off, including some of his trophies he collected throughout his career.

Along with the Ken Venutri collection, other items being auctioned include a 1971 used PGA Championship scorecard, signed by Jack Nicklaus, Mark Calcavecchi’s 1989 Ryder Cup USA Team red/white/blue shirt and President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s personal 1950′s used set of Robert T. Jones Jr. irons and woods.

Venturi, who tuned pro in 1956, went on to a 35-year long broadcasting career, including 14 Masters for CBS. He died in 2013.

Venturi was also the runner-up at the 1960 Masters. Many fans will remember the controversy surrounding playing partner Arnold Palmer’s embedded ball on No. 12. Palmer’s drop shot propelled him to a one-shot victory over the amateur.

Items can be bid on at thegolfauction.com and is open until Sunday at 9 p.m. Proceeds from the auction will go to the PGA of America’s charitable foundation, the PGA REACH.

“Bidding has been great,” said Kenley Matheny, president of The Golf Auction. “We’ve seen a lot of people come back and bid that haven’t in years.”