Is there a Par 3 course at the Masters?

In Augusta, Georgia, the Augusta National Golf Club hosts the Masters Tournament, one of golf's four major championships, every year. Established in 1934, it was originally known as the "Augusta National Invitation Tournament" before co-founder Clifford Roberts suggested renaming it to "The Masters" in 1939. The course was designed by golf course architect Alister MacKenzie and Masters co-founder Bobby Jones. Except for a brief hiatus from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II, the tournament has been played every year.

However, the Masters Tournament has not been one of the golf majors since the beginning but eventually became one due to popular opinion. It is also heavy in tradition, like the green jacket, the champions dinner, the par-3 contest, and an honorary opening ceremony. Further, certain etiquette must be followed by patrons as well, like a no cellphone policy, no running, and no calling out names, though cheering is welcomed, among others.

The Masters Par 3 Course

The Par-3 course at the Masters Tournament was designed by George Cobb in 1958, near Ike's Pond and DeSoto Springs Pond. It is a nine-hole, 27-par golf course. The course record is held by Jimmy Walker, who shot 8 under par, 19, in 2016. Back in the 1950s, the professionals participating in the event were used to practicing on Wednesdays and having casual long-drive competitions. Socializing and interaction were important then due to the "grow-the-game" movement. Finally, in 1958, the Wednesdays of the Masters week became the official Par-3 contest and tradition to be followed since then.

The brainchild for a par-3 course at the Masters was Alister MacKenzie, who, while designing the main course, thought of designing a short 18-hole course too alongside it in the 1930s. In 1958, Robert Clifford hired George Cobb to design the par-3 course.

What is a Par 3 Contest?

The Par-3 contest of the Masters is a friendly contest played on a nine-hole, 27-par course with invited family members in caddie uniforms. Their uniforms are typical Masters caddie white jumpsuits with Masters caps, specially made for them. The contest has no pressure of the actual Masters event; thus, full swings and odd putts are common. However, there is a superstition surrounding the contest too, as per which the winner of the par-3 contest never wins the main Masters Tournament.

The Masters Par-3 Contest Winners

Sam Snead, the golfer with the record for the most PGA Tour wins (82), tied with Tiger Woods, was the first to win at the Par-3 contest. By that time, Snead had already won three Masters Tournaments in 1949, 1952, and 1954.

The Par-3 contest winners of the Masters Tournament year by year are as follows:

Year	Winner	Country	To par	Masters finish
1960	Sam Snead	United States	−4	T11
1961	Deane Beman (a)	United States	−5	CUT
1962	Bruce Crampton	Australia	−5	T29
1963	George Bayer	United States	−4	T28
1964	Labron Harris Jr. (a)	United States	−4	43
1965	Art Wall Jr.	United States	−7	T45
1966	Terry Dill	United States	−5	T17
1967	Arnold Palmer	United States	−4	4
1968	Bob Rosburg	United States	−5	T29
1969	Bob Lunn	United States	−4	CUT
1970	Harold Henning	South Africa	−6	CUT
1971	Dave Stockton	United States	−4	T9
1972	Steve Melnyk	United States	−4	T12
1973	Gay Brewer	United States	−7	T10
1974	Sam Snead (2)	United States	−5	T20
1975	Isao Aoki	Japan	−4	CUT
1976	Jay Haas (a)	United States	−6	CUT
1977	Tom Weiskopf	United States	−4	T14
1978	Lou Graham	United States	−5	CUT
1979	Joe Inman	United States	−5	T23
1980	Johnny Miller	United States	−5	T38
1981	Isao Aoki (2)	Japan	−5	T45
1982	Tom Watson	United States	−4	T5
1983	Hale Irwin	United States	−5	T6
1984	Tommy Aaron	United States	−5	CUT
1985	Hubert Green	United States	−5	CUT
1986	Gary Koch	United States	−4	T16
1987	Ben Crenshaw	United States	−5	T4
1988	Tsuneyuki Nakajima	Japan	−3	T33
1989	Bob Gilder	United States	−5	39
1990	Raymond Floyd	United States	−4	2
1991	Rocco Mediate	United States	−3	T22
1992	Davis Love III	United States	−5	T25
1993	Chip Beck	United States	−6	2
1994	Vijay Singh	Fiji	−5	T27
1995	Hal Sutton	United States	−4	CUT
1996	Jay Haas (2)	United States	−5	T36
1997	Sandy Lyle	Scotland	−5	T34
1998	Sandy Lyle (2)	Scotland	−3	CUT
1999	Joe Durant	United States	−5	CUT
2000	Chris Perry	United States	−4	T14
2001	David Toms	United States	−5	T31
2002	Nick Price	Zimbabwe	−5	T20
2003	Pádraig HarringtonDavid Toms (2)	IrelandUnited States	−6	CUTT8
2004	Pádraig Harrington (2)	Ireland	−4	T13
2005	Jerry Pate	United States	−5	DNP
2006	Ben Crane	United States	−4	CUT
2007	Mark O'Meara	United States	−5	CUT
2008	Rory Sabbatini	South Africa	−5	CUT
2009	Tim Clark	South Africa	−5	T13
2010	Louis Oosthuizen	South Africa	−6	CUT
2011	Luke Donald	England	−5	T4
2012	Jonathan ByrdPádraig Harrington (3)	United StatesIreland	−5	T27T8
2013	Ted Potter Jr.	United States	−4	CUT
2014	Ryan Moore	United States	−6	CUT
2015	Kevin Streelman	United States	−5	T12
2016	Jimmy Walker	United States	−8	T29
2017	Contest canceled due to rain
2018	Tom Watson (2)	United States	−6	DNP
2019	Matt Wallace	England	−5	CUT
2020	Contest canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021
2022	Mackenzie HughesMike Weir	Canada	−4	T50CUT
2023	Tom Hoge	United States	−6	CUT
2024	Rickie Fowler	United States	−5	T30