The Masters Par Three Contest:

First played in 1960, the Par 3 Contest has become a beloved Wednesday tradition at the Masters. The Par 3 Course was designed in 1958 by architect George Cobb and Augusta National Chairman Clifford Roberts. The Contest field includes Tournament participants, noncompeting past champions, and Honorary Invitees. The nine-hole, par-27 course measures 1,060 yards and plays over DeSoto Springs Pond and Ike’s Pond.

INTERESTING FACTS

There have been 73 holes in one in the Contest’s history, a record of five in 2002.
No winner of the Par 3 Contest has ever gone on to win that year’s Masters.
The course record of 20 is shared by Art Wall (1965) and Gay Brewer (1973).
There have been 18 sudden-death playoffs.
The Contest is very sociable—players often have their children caddie for them.

I believe that almost every competitor plays in the par 3 contest and almost every competitor trys not to win. Why would you not want to win at the Masters. Well as golfers in general we are a superstitious bunch, and no one has ever won the par 3 and the tournament in the same year. This is why you see the players caddies (typically a wife, or children, or long time friend of the competitor) hitting their shots on the 9th hole. Or putting out for the player, because no one wants to win the par 3. It is almost an anti competition rather than a par 3 tournament. I do love the fact that Phil Mickelson told us this year, he was going to try to win the par 3 contest as well as the Masters tournament, and break the streak and the superstition forever. Phil posted a -3 under par for the par 3 tournament to loose by two to Padraig Harrington and Jonathan Byrd.

Here are the closest to the pins for this years par three tournament:The Contest is very sociable—players often have their children caddie for them.