The Par-3 Contest

Since 1960, players have competed in a Par-3 contest on the Wednesday preceding the start of The Masters. This is a time when they bring a family member along to caddie for them and the mood is typically lighthearted.

It is well documented that no player has ever won the Par-3 contest the same year as winning The Masters tournament. However, many people may not know that Vijay Singh and Ben Crenshaw are the only two players who have won The Masters AFTER winning the Par-3 contest.

Hole in ones are not uncommon in the event. In fact, in 2016, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler made back-to-back hole in ones, but two others in particular from the 2018 contest stand out.

While caddying for his grandfather, Jack Nicklaus, and with fellow legends of the game Gary Player and Tom Watson looking on, G.T. Nicklaus stepped up on the 9th tee and played it perfectly. His ball landed above the hole and spun back down the hill, taking the slope and rolling in the cup as if he had hit a dead-weight putt. The six-time Masters winner would later go on to say that was his fondest memory at Augusta.

The other ace that jumps out (pun intended) is Tony Finau’s ace on the 8th hole during the same 2018 Par-3 contest. After holing out the shot, Finau started running and jumping down towards the hole, engaging with the crowd.

Unfortunately, he made one misstep and came down awkwardly on his ankle, dislocating it. But, Tony is a tough man, and he popped it back into place on the spot, finished up the Par-3 contest and took 10th in the 2018 tournament.

Good-hearted to the end, this year, Nike and Finau developed an elaborate April Fool’s joke in the form of a high ankle booted golf shoe. Finau won’t wear them during The Masters, but did not rule out wearing them at some point.

Trivia 5: What was the original name of The Masters Tournament?

Moe Norman

Things don’t always work out how people planned it. In 1956, the most unorthodox player of all time, Moe Norman, earned an invitation to The Masters as an amateur. He’s famous for his single plane swing, but the Canadian-born Norman was also a prolific ball striker and won over 50 tournaments in his native Canada.

While the stories of Norman at Augusta are wildly varying, from sleeping in bunkers and on benches, to possibly hitting tee shots off of coke bottles, Norman’s legend is undeniable. One confirmed story revolves around a tip Sam Snead gave to Norman at the range following the second round. Snead commented that Moe was coming down too steeply on his long irons and that he should sweep them more like a fairway wood.

Norman recounted hitting some 800 balls at the range that evening and much to the consternation of Augusta officials and fans alike he was forced to withdraw from the tournament the next day due to his hands hurting so badly from all the practice the night before. He returned again in 1957, but failed to make the cut and did not