News 12 at 11 o'clock, April 10, 2008

AUGUSTA, Ga.---Some people are making the trip to the Masters, but aren't getting in. Investigators say someone has been selling counterfeit badges.

"I called my 80-year-old dad today and said, "Dad I'm a half-hour away from Heaven,'" said Rob McAloon.

He isn't talking about the pearly gates, though. He's talking about the gates at Augusta National. It's his first time.

"Walked some of the course, and hit the pro shop and had a fantastic time. I'm glowing," he said.

He says he couldn't imagine getting there and getting turned away.

"You're gonna get burned by good counterfeits, and that's unfortunate," he said.

Investigators say a woman sold counterfeit masters badges to people at a pharmacy called Peach Orchard Drugs.

"Unless you show up with a ticket, you're putting yourself at risk for this," McAloon said.

He says he didn't have to worry because he got his badge from his friend Wayne Andsager, who's been coming for seven years.

"They're willing to do whatever it takes to get something and they'll get burned," Andsager said.

"We got offered $5,000 for our ticket coming through the door," McAloon said.

Both agree you have to be careful or you could end up locked outside the famous gates.

"I feel bad for them...They wanted to see the masters. They wanted to see the green gates of heaven," said McAloon.

Deputies describe the suspect as a heavy-set white female in her late thirties. They say she has very poor dental hygiene, with decaying teeth, and also has a blue-colored cast on one leg.

If you have information call the Richmond County Sheriff's Office at (706) 821-1080.