A 93-year-old refused to sell her home to the Masters golf course because ‘money ain’t everything’

A 93-year-old woman who lived less than a mile from Augusta National Golf Club refused to sell her property to the club until her dying breath, rebuffing years of expansion efforts by the golf club that hosts the celebrated Masters Tournament.

Elizabeth Thacker lived in a three-bedroom, single-story house on a 0.67 acre lot that was built in 1956, according to property records. It’s a normal-looking home in a far-from-normal location: just outside the north gate of the Augusta National Golf Club.

Thacker lived in the home at 1112 Stanley Road in Augusta, Ga. with her husband, Herman Thacker, and the couple raised their kids there. Their grandson, a pro golfer named Scott Brown, also spent time there as a child, NJ.com reported.

Elizabeth Thacker died in July last year, at the age of 93, while Herman Thacker died in 2019 at the age of 86. The home at 1112 Stanley Road is still in Elizabeth Thacker’s name, according to property records. Thacker’s daughter Robin Thacker Rinder, confirmed to Fox Business on April 9 the home has not been sold.

‘Money ain’t everything’

Thacker told NJ.com in 2017 the couple did not want to leave their home even as Augusta National, which hosts the Masters tournament yearly, made offers for the property. Records show the property was last valued at $338,733 in 2025, above Augusta’s median listing price of $240,000, according to Redfin. Augusta National has made Thacker multiple offers over the years above the home’s estimated value, Thacker’s daughter Robin Thacker Rinder told Fox Business.

Still, the late Herman Thacker told NJ.com in 2017 that the couple was staying put because “money ain’t everything.”

Augusta National Golf Club has become a revered athletic landmark as host of the biggest golf tournament in the world, the Masters which started in 1934, and for its superstar winners, including Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus. Last year, Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy won the tournament and claimed an iconic green blazer.

Augusta National’s $280 million land grab

For years, Augusta National has tried to capitalize on that clout by acquiring surrounding properties for well above their asking price, some through limited liability companies with names like BC Acquisition Co. and WSQ, The Wall Street Journal reported. The golf clup has spent $280 million to acquire property surrounding the course over the past two decades, according to Golf.com.

A spokesperson for Augusta National did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment.

Through its buying frenzy, the golf club has targeted homes like that of Thacker and her neighbors, many of which sold their properties to Augusta National. In 2018, one neighbor sold her three-bedroom ranch home, which is only an 11-minute walk from Thacker’s home, to the club for $1.1 million, the Journal reported. And the Thackers themselves sold another home they owned to Augusta National for $1.2 million, Fox Business reported.

The properties the club buys are mostly razed. Steps away from Thacker’s home, an unpaved parking lot welcomes visitors just outside of the north gate. As attendees visit the club for the Masters this weekend, many will likely walk right by the Thacker home to enter the club near the clubhouse and tournament practice area.

Still, her daughter, Thacker Rinder, said Augusta National hasn’t approached the family with new offers in the past year since the elder Thacker died, she told Fox Business. She would only sell, she says, “if the price is right.”

Thacker Rinder is now living in the house, and, like her mother, plans to keep the home in the family and is “taking good care of it,” she said.

A version of this story was published on Fortune.com on April 12, 2025.