Not all the Masters Week numbers were on the leaderboard.
Richmond County Sheriff's Col. Gary Powell said the week ended with 23 ticket-scalping arrests, 37 seized Masters badges and more than 100 warnings -- most of them made during the practice rounds.
"We arrested more (people) this year, but they had less tickets on them," Col. Powell said Monday. "Whereas last year everybody arrested had more than one ticket on them."
Last year, deputies seized 43 tickets and arrested six people who were selling too close to Augusta National Golf Club, he said.
Not numbered in those arrests were charges Sunday against a Utah man who jumped into a sand bunker near the 17th green, stretched on his back and began to make "snow angels" with his arms.
Steven Davis, 34, of Salt Lake City, was charged with disorderly conduct.
Col. Powell said another visitor was charged when a deputy found marijuana in a lost camera bag.
"They asked him if everything in the bag was his, including the marijuana," Col. Powell said.
As with last year, all ticket-scalping arrests occurred during the Monday-Wednesday practice rounds. Col. Powell said police cracked down on scalpers during the first three days and saw no one selling them during the four-day tournament. State law prohibits anyone from selling tickets within 2,700 feet of the course.
"During the tournament we hardly ever have a problem with them," he said.
The cost to the city for holding the tournament also does not seem to be a problem.
"We don't track it," City Administrator Fred Russell said Monday. The city's expenditures in preparing for Masters Week aren't broken out separately in the budget.
"It's just something that we've always done, and something we're always gonna do," he said.
Mr. Russell said that the maintenance the city does the week before the tournament would be done anyway and that workers involved in street cleanup and landscaping also would be on the clock. The same goes for the events staff at the Mayor's Masters Reception.
Sheriff's deputies who provide security are off duty and are paid by Augusta National. Sheriff Ronnie Strength said those who are on city time, such as Col. Gary Powell and deputies directing traffic, would be working regardless.
"If there's any overtime worked, the Augusta National pays for it," Sheriff Strength said.
Reach Adam Folk at (706) 823-3339 or adam.folk@augustachronicle.com.
MASTERS COVERAGE
Complete coverage of the 2009 Masters Tournament: www.augusta.com
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
yes they would be working but covering a far more spread out grid of the city.
Sounds like a lotta CYA by RCSD for hangin out at the Masters!
I'm a fan of The Masters and I think Sheriff Strength and his staff do a great job but Fred Russell's quote about "the maintenance the city does the week before the tournament would be done anyway" cracks me up.Maybe he needs to get a job as Obama's spokesman..........
Agree with jab0226! RCSD probably begged the Augusta Chronicle to write a piece about the Masters arrests. Typical good ole boy b.s.
It's one of the largest and most visible sporting events in the world, jab. Why in the hell would they NOT be on scene? You think they had to make an excuse to be at an event that pumps in millions upon millions into the local community? I hope some of you people don't reproduce.
I love the Masters and always attend..however being an accountant I have a problem with the City not knowing exactly what the it spends for holding the event...I know that it recieves far more in return ,,but I would (if I were fred) still like to know the numbers......just because.......................
Signal Always I wonder how much of the millions are diverted to some business headquartered out of state? Its amazing that NO accounting for the cost of the Masters to taxpayers is performed and the citizens who pay it are uncaring. No wonder the budget for the town is non-transparent and the politicians do as they please for their cronnys. BTW I could have used a few of those troopers in my neighborhood controlling the loud music last week and the fines for noise are much higher than ticket scalping.
The guy making snow angels in the bunker...what an idiot. Say bye to your ticket, or whoever loaned or sold it to you will probably kill you. I'd have loved to see that covered on TV, but then again, it would not be fitting with the decorum of the game I suppose. There has to be some footage on that somewhere...probably locked in the vault at The National.
The Masters and ANGC taxes far exceed the minimal expense to the city. As was stated, most all expenses are necessary anyways, just depends on the time of the year for the spring cleaning and as far as law enforcement, all of the deputies working for and around the ANGC are paid for on special duty at no expense to the tax payers. Why are so many Augustan's such small thinkers?
The guy doing the snow angles passed off his ticket before he fell into the sand per the radio broadcast.
The chimp master always hands the badge off. He not a dumb chimp, just a spontaneous chimp.
Its not as if he aided in killing many dogs. He also didnt drive up on a curb killing innocent men.
What he did do is lose his job for making sand angels.
God bless his little chimp heart, for it is aching.