At the Masters Tournament, decorum is everything. This means that intoxicated players or patrons, as well as those acting in a disorderly manner, are removed from Augusta National Golf Club. If they refuse to leave the premises, they can be arrested for criminal trespassing. It can even lead to a permanent ban from the course. And a similar incident occurred involving a South Carolina man at Augusta this year.
According to a report from The Augusta Press, a 36-year-old man named Matthew Stroud from Easley arrived intoxicated at the club’s North Gate for the Monday Masters. That’s where he began heckling the patrons waiting to get into Augusta National and kept asking for tickets to enter the premises at around 11 am ET.
However, the Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies intervened and asked the man to leave. He initially obliged and left. But Scott Gay, the captain of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department, revealed that he returned and continued to harass the patrons to part with their tickets. The deputies asked him to leave once again, but this time he refused.
And that ended up with him being arrested at 2600 Washington Road near the Magnolia Lane entrance to the Augusta National Golf Club and taken to the Charles B. Webster Detention Center. Later in the day, he got out of the detention center after paying a bond of $285.
Unlike other PGA Tour events where rowdy behavior is sometimes tolerated or even encouraged (such as the WM Phoenix Open), the Masters prides itself on being a sanctuary. And when a fan crosses the line into harassment, it doesn’t just affect the players; it threatens the very brand of the tournament. By moving swiftly to an arrest, Augusta officials sent a clear message that the gentle nature of the Masters only extends to those who follow the rules.
Masters 2026: Man arrested after trying to sneak into Augusta National#TheMasters #AugustaNational #arrest #golfhttps://t.co/hyZlEm5cGr
— Golf Digest ME (@GolfDigestME) April 7, 2026
All the Masters Tournament tickets are physical tickets put on paper or a lanyard. These must be displayed around the patron’s body at all times. And Augusta National is strictly against reselling the tickets.
The tournament even shared a warning on its official website that read:
“As a reminder, Augusta National, Inc. is the only authorized source/seller of Masters® Tickets. The resale of any Masters Ticket is strictly prohibited. Holders of tickets acquired from third parties, by whatever means, may be excluded from attendance at the Tournament.”
And just last year, multiple fans were removed from the premises because they failed to adhere to this rule.
Augusta National removes fans for acquiring resale tickets
Most patrons have to wait in a long line, even indefinitely, to get hold of a ticket to the Masters Tournament. However, there are some golf enthusiasts who resort to unauthorized sellers to get a ticket. But this isn’t something that Augusta National takes lightly. And it has taken a few measures to prevent such resale from happening.
Not too long ago, Front Office Sports reported that the Masters 2026 tickets won’t be available on SeatGeek. Even though it’s an authorized platform for buying and selling tickets, the Augusta National had previously turned the selling option off. Yet, multiple people found their way to such tickets.
The result? Augusta National officials questioned the ticket holders about how they got the tickets. And many of them had their passes canceled. This year, the tournament refused to sell tickets on third-party websites, keeping it highly exclusive.
A similar scenario occurred in 2012, when 24 people were arrested for scalping tickets within 2,700 ft of Augusta. Eight years later, a Texan was sentenced to 28 months in prison for trying to obtain fraudulent tickets to the Masters and reselling them for profit. His parents and sister, however, received three-year probation after admitting to their crimes. On top of that, they had to pay over $275,000 in restitution.
Augusta National has a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who puts themselves above the tournament. This latest arrest is simply the newest chapter in the club’s ongoing war against disruption.
