Tom Watson becomes oldest winner of the Masters Par 3 Contest
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Tom Watson rolled back the years at The Masters on Wednesday, going round Augusta’s Par 3 course in just 21 shots to become the oldest winner in history at 68 years old.
He was out in arguably the most competitive group of the day with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, who shot 23 and 25 respectively, but it was Watson who became the unlikely winner of the annual competition.
Watson made six birdies – including four in a row to start – on his way to beating out Tommy Fleetwood and Thomas Pieters by a single shot and becoming the oldest player to lift the Wednesday trophy on the eve of The Masters (Sam Snead was 62 when he won the event in 1974).
“Since I’m not playing in the tournament, I thought, ‘Let’s go for it this year,'” Watson said afterward.
Because of Watson’s win, the Par 3 jinx is ensured to last at least one year longer – as no Par 3 champion has ever won the main Masters tournament in the same week.
Only 22 players posted official scores, with the majority of the competitors happy to have ‘No Score’ next to their names after letting caddies and family members takes shots for them over some of the holes.
Jack’s Grandson Makes Hole In One
But Watson’s victory wasn’t the only excitement in the group: Jack needed a hole in one on the 9th to tie Watson, but wasn’t able to. He asked his grandson and caddie Gary to give it a try off the same tee (a tradition welcomed during the Par 3 contest), and sure enough – he made it! Watch the video here for the shot and full reaction
Tony Finau makes Ace & then looks to badly injure ankle
Tony Finau has said he is ‘optimistic’ that he can play in The Masters after it has been confirmed he didn’t break his ankle while celebrating a hole in one during the Masters Par 3 Contest.
Finau was running in celebrating when he dislocated his ankle, and then was seen to pop it back in to place and play on.
Following the end of the Par 3 Finau declined all interviews, and it has since been confirmed by the Golf Channel that X-rays done on Wednesday night revealed no breaks.
He will still undergo an MRI on Thursday morning, and hopes to play if results are positive and swelling is under control. Scroll below to watch the video – but beware it’s quite gruesome
Watch the video below of the injury if you dare, but beware it’s quite gruesome
