A festive mood fills Masters par 3 contest

With the moment of truth just a day away, laughter echoed across Augusta National Golf Club on Wednesday. The festive atmosphere came from the Masters' traditional Par 3 Contest, held annually since 1960 on the day before the tournament began. It has become a symbolic prelude to the first major of the PGA Tour season.

The contest takes place on a separate nine-hole Par 3 course on the grounds. Players’ family members, partners or friends serve as caddies—and sometimes take a few swings themselves.

Though participation isn’t mandatory, players eagerly look forward to the event as a chance to make lasting memories. The short holes, each around 100 yards, are designed to be relatively easy. When the Par 3 layout was first announced, some club members reportedly mocked it as a “children’s course.”

But the real stars of the event are the children. Dressed in adorable white caddie uniforms, players’ sons and daughters do their best to swing like their dads. On Wednesday, Sammy, the four-year-old son of 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth, hit a 30-yard drive straight down the center of the second hole. Kepa, the four-year-old son of 2023 champion Jon Rahm, drew laughs by trying to kick the golf ball. “My future soccer star,” Rahm joked, “how about kicking it toward the hole instead?”

South Korean golfer An Byeong-hun also joined the fun with his wife and two children. His five-year-old son Seon-woo, who recently started learning golf, practiced putting under his father’s watchful eye.

That players join such a lighthearted event on the eve of a major tournament is part of what makes the Masters special. Rory McIlroy, who played alongside his five-year-old daughter Poppy, smiled throughout. A Masters win would complete McIlroy’s career Grand Slam. “I had a great afternoon,” he said. “Now it’s time to rest and get ready for Round 1.”

When the sun rose on Thursday, 95 players turned their attention to fierce competition. Fortunately for them, neither McIlroy nor An won the Par 3 Contest. No player has ever claimed both the Par 3 title and the green jacket in the same year—a quirky tradition, or perhaps a curse, that still holds true.


Yun-Cheol Jeong trigger@donga.com