The curious curse that means no one wants to win the Masters Par 3 Contest

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Does a curse make it impossible to win the Par 3 Contest and The Masters? Tom Hoge won the 2023 Masters Par 3 Contest but missed the cut in the main event

Does a curse make it impossible to win the Par 3 Contest and The Masters?

Why does no one want to win the Masters Par 3 Contest?

The Masters Tournament Par 3 Contest has been around since 1960. It’s a fun curtain-raiser played on the Wednesday afternoon, before the serious action gets underway the following morning.

It takes place on a nine-hole par-3 course with holes ranging from 90 to 155 yards.

Jimmy Walker holds the course record with the round of 19 (-8) he shot in 2016, which included a hole-in-one on the 2nd hole.

Jimmy Walker was the Par-3 Champion in 2016

You might think that taking some good form into the first Major of the season would be seen as a positive and that players would therefore be keen to triumph at the Par 3 Contest. But the opposite is true. In fact, the Masters Tournament Par 3 Contest might be the only tournament in golf that no one wants to win.

The Masters Par 3 Contest Curse

The reason? Nobody has ever won the Par 3 Contest and gone on to win The Masters in the same week. Golfers are superstitious creatures and that trend alone means most would rather not see their name atop the Par 3 Contest leaderboard.

The so-called “curse” may actually be worse than most people think. Not only has no one won both events in the same week, only two golfers have won the Par 3 Contest and then gone on to win the Masters at any point afterwards. And one of those, Ben Crenshaw, was already a Masters champion. He picked up his first Green Jacket in 1984, won the Par 3 Contest in 1987, and won his second Masters in 1995.

Vijay Singh is the only golfer in history to win the Par 3 Contest, which he did in 1994, and then go on to win The Masters for the first time – his first and likely only Masters title coming in 2000.

Faldo on his way to a successful Masters defence in 1990.

Can anyone break the Masters Par 3 Contest curse?

Raymond Floyd came closest. The 1976 Masters champ won the Par 3 Contest in 1990 and found himself four shots clear with six holes to play of the main tournament, on course to become the oldest Masters winner in history at 47 years of age.

Nick Faldo had other ideas, though. The Englishmen mounted a late charge to tie before beating Floyd in a playoff, becoming only the second man in history to win back-to-back Masters.

Nowadays, many of the big names choose not to post a score in the Par 3 Contest. Many prefer to enjoy a leisurely stroll around the nine holes, occasionally having their caddies attempt a chip or a pitch, or tap in a putt. Doing so officially disqualifies them from the tournament, but it’s all seen as part of the fun and means they get to take part without worrying about the curse.

Those who are brave enough to triumph at the Par 3 Contest have not tended to fare well in the main event in recent years.

Tom Hoge won the 2023 Masters Par 3 Contest but missed the cut in the main event

Last year’s Par 3 winner, Tom Hoge, missed the cut at The Masters.

Mackenzie Hughes and Mike Weir tied for the Par 3 title in 2022; Hughes finished T50 while Weir missed the cut.

There was no Par 3 Contest in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.

2019 Par 3 champion Matt Wallace missed the cut.

You have to go back to 2012 to find a player who won the Par 3 Contest and went on to finish in the top-10 at The Masters. Padraig Harrington shared Par 3 honors with Jonathan Byrd that year and went on to finish T8 in the main event. Luke Donald won the Par 3 Contest the year before and finished T4 in The Masters.

See who’s in the field at this year’s Masters.

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About the author

Rob McGarr is a freelance writer who produces regular content for Today's Golfer.

Rob McGarr – Contributing Editor

Rob has been a writer and editor for over 15 years, covering all manner of subjects for leading magazines and websites.

He has previously been Features Editor of Today’s Golfer magazine and Digital Editor of todays-golfer.com, and held roles at FHM, Men’s Running, Golf World, and MAN Magazine.

You can follow him on YouTube where – depending on what day of the week it is – he’ll either be trying his best to get his handicap down to scratch or shoving his clubs in a cupboard, never to be seen again.

Rob is a member at Royal North Devon, England’s oldest golf course, where he plays off a three-handicap.

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