Kevin Hart, Jason Kelce join the Masters fun as caddies for Par 3 Contest
AUGUSTA — Before the hardcore golf gets going in Thursday’s first round of the Masters, there was time for some lighthearted fun in the Par 3 Contest at Augusta National.
Comedian Kevin Hart made an appearance as the caddie for Bryson DeChambeau while former NFL star Jason Kelce carried the bag for Akshay Bhatia.
Of course, that brought some laughter and jokes with it.
“I am not Kevin Hart, the global superstar, today. Please get that out of your mental. Not the movie star, the stand-up comedian that everybody knows around the world. Throw it in the bag,” Hart said on the ESPN broadcast. “Today, I am Bryson’s caddie.”
DeChambeau said that he and Hart connected while shooting a video a couple of months ago, and that led to the idea of doing something fun together for the Par 3 Contest.
“We’ve been talking a lot about golf. He’s gotten into it over the past seven months, and he’s become a superstar in his own right on the greens, by the way,” DeChambeau said.
Kelce drew some laughs when he tried to read a putt and got down on the green on his stomach. He gave his best advice to Bhatia, who missed the putt.
“Just give it a little tush push and it’ll be on, I promise you,” Kelce said.
The Masters 2026
The 90th edition of the Masters Tournament tees off at Augusta National Golf Club this week. Here’s everything you need to follow the action.
THE CHAMPION: Rory McIlroy owns Augusta, wins second straight Masters title
FINAL ROUND: Five final takeaways from the 2026 Masters | Rory McIlroy makes history again Surprises, disappointments: Henley ties for third on birthday | Sights and sounds from the 18th green
GEORGIANS: High schooler on Masters debut: ‘Everything I dreamed it would be’ | UGA leads all college programs | Bulldogs legend showed up for the 1960 Masters. He’s been every year since. | Phenom’s path began with skipping rocks in South Georgia
PHOTOS: Final round | Round 3 | Golf fashions | Round 2 | Masters tournament starts | Par 3 contest | Contenders warm up | Practice rounds tee off
AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL: One rule for keeping toddlers quiet: Don’t say ‘birdie’ | Ticket-resale restrictions are popular subject | What Masters golfers would do as patrons at Augusta: ‘Have a lot of beers’ | How much it would cost to buy one of every item at the Masters Golf Shop
THE TRADITIONS (FOOD): Inside Rory McIlroy’s Champions Dinner menu | Make The Masters’ iconic 3-ingredient cocktail at home | Everything to know about pimento cheese this Masters week
WHAT TO WATCH: Why Augusta National could be ‘even more difficult’ this year | Augusta National can bring top players to their knees | Mason Howell’s path to Augusta
MASTERS GNOME: Masters gnome craze hits ‘Hunger Games’ levels amid final-edition rumors | Gnomes lead the secondary market outside Augusta National
About the Author
Rod Beard is the Senior Sports Editor for pro sports at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joining the team after 20-plus years at The Detroit News, where he was a beat writer for the Pistons for seven years, after five years covering the Michigan men's basketball team.
