This week more than 20 people have found out the hard way that trying to sell a Masters Tournament ticket near the front gate can lead to trouble.

Col. Gary Powell, of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, said Friday that at least 22 people have been cited for soliciting Masters tickets either too close to the event's location or out in the road. Each now faces a fine of about $600, he said.

"It's basically just during the practice rounds that we have all the problems," he said, noting that the most citations - 13 - were issued Wednesday and that most of those cited were from New York or New Jersey.

Ticket scalping was legalized in 2001 by the Georgia Legislature so long as the sale occurs at least 1,500 feet away from the event site. The law does not restrict the prices of scalped tickets as long as they are sold by a licensed ticket broker.

Col. Powell said that on Tuesday, police cited three people on Interstate 20 for disrupting traffic while trying to sell tickets, "and we had to chase one of them down on foot."

On Friday, Col. Powell said officers also were on the lookout for a fake badge that might be for sale.

"We had somebody call (Thursday night) from Kinko's and say they saw somebody copy a badge," he said.

Col. Powell said any fake badges would be detected at the front gate, and the ticket holder would not be allowed to attend the tournament and would be questioned about who sold the badge.

"If you buy one, you're going to lose your money," he said.

For the most part, Col. Powell said things have been quiet this week.

But in one case, he said, a scuffle broke out Wednesday between two men on Washington Road over the payment for a Masters ticket. Police and an ambulance were called.

Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 828-3904 or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com.