The Masters Par 3 Contest - Will The Curse Continue In 2025?
The Masters Par 3 Contest is one of the most beloved traditions in golf, held each year on the Wednesday before the first round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
However, it's a contest that players actively seek to lose - no golfer has ever won the Par 3 and then lifted the Masters title in the same year - it's a fun tradition that many players secretly hope not to win.
Many golf fans enjoy placing a fun bet on the event through online betting sites, with the Par 3 contest adding an extra layer of entertainment ahead of the first golf major of the year.
The Par 3 Curse
Played on the club's beautiful nine-hole Par 3 course, the Masters Par 3 contest offers a fun and relaxed atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the intensity of the main event.
Players often bring their families to caddie - young kids in tiny white jumpsuits have become an iconic image of Masters Week.
Despite its charm, the Par 3 Contest is wrapped in one of golf's most persistent superstitions - no winner of the Par 3 Contest has ever gone on to win the Masters in the same year.
This so-called "curse" has lasted since the contest's inception in 1960 and is now firmly embedded in tournament folklore.
Some players embrace the fun and go all out to win; others, superstitiously, avoid trying too hard, with some even missing short putts on purpose to dodge the jinx.
Over the years, several legends of the game have won the Par 3 - Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington, and Luke Donald among them - only to fall short in the main event.
On the flip side, recent Masters champions like Jon Rahm, Hideki Matsuyama, and Scottie Scheffler either didn't win the Par 3 or kept their participation casual.
Ben Crenshaw and Vijay Singh are the only players to win a Masters after winning a Par 3 Contest.
The best Masters finish by a Par 3 winner was second, which has happened twice, Raymond Floyd in 1990 and Chip Beck in 1993.
Five players have won the contest multiple times, but Padraig Harrington is the only man to win it three times.
The Masters Par 3 Contest - Previous Winners
Check out the most recent Masters Par Contest winners, plus their finishing position in the Masters.
| Year | Winner(s) | Country | Score | Masters Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Rickie Fowler | USA | −5 | T30 |
| 2023 | Tom Hoge | USA | −6 | CUT |
| 2022 | Mackenzie Hughes & Mike Weir | Canada | −4 | T50 / CUT |
| 2021 | Cancelled due to COVID | — | — | — |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID | — | — | — |
| 2019 | Matt Wallace | England | −5 | CUT |
| 2018 | Tom Watson | USA | −6 | DNP |
| 2017 | Canceled due to rain | — | — | — |
| 2016 | Jimmy Walker | USA | −8 | T29 |
| 2015 | Kevin Streelman | USA | −5 | T12 |
| 2014 | Ryan Moore | USA | −6 | CUT |
| 2013 | Ted Potter Jr | USA | −4 | CUT |
| 2012 | Jonathan Byrd & Padraig Harrington | USA / Ireland | −5 | T27 / T8 |
| 2011 | Luke Donald | England | −5 | T4 |
| 2010 | Louis Oosthuizen | South Africa | −6 | CUT |
| 2009 | Tim Clark | South Africa | −5 | T13 |
| 2008 | Rory Sabbatini | South Africa | −5 | CUT |
| 2007 | Mark O'Meara | USA | −5 | CUT |
| 2006 | Ben Crane | USA | −4 | CUT |
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