A quick look at the Masters from Wednesday:
Par 3 contest
Golf’s greats – and their grandsons – got the Masters off to a dramatic start.
The 68-year-old Tom Watson won the Par 3 Contest.
The 15-year-old Gary Nicklaus aced the ninth hole as the caddie for his grandfather Jack Nicklaus.
Watson would have damaged his chances to win another Masters when he was the surprising winner of the contest at 6-under par on Wednesday. Known as a jinx, no one has ever won the Par 3 contest and the Masters in the same year. So, Watson will have to wait for a second green jacket. Actually the two-time winner of the Masters stopped playing the event two years so he might as well win the contest.
“After I birdied the first four holes, I said let’s go for it,” Watson said.
The previous oldest winner of the Par 3 Contest was Sam Sneed at 61 in 1974.
Gary Nicklaus, known as GT, scored his first-ever ace and had his grandfather in tears in a wild celebration. The 78-year-old Nicklaus finished tied for fourth at 4-under par. Their playing partner was 82-year-old Gary Player who finished tied for 10th.
Nicklaus, the six-time Masters champion, said he ranks the hole-in-one by his grandson as his number one golf memory.
“To watch your grandson to that is special,” said a still choked up Nicklaus said.
Gary Nicklaus said he was just trying to hit the ball on the green.
“For that to happen was unbelievable,” Gary Nicklaus said. “… It was surreal.”
Nicklaus said he asked his grandson three days ago whether he wanted to take the last tee shot. When he agreed, Nicklaus said he told the youngster he would get a hole-in-one.
Nick Fleetwood and Thomas Pieters tied for second at 5-under par and Adam Hadwin and Chez Reavie finished tied for third with Nicklaus.
#LastMasters?
There are seven past champions in the field who are closing in on their final appearances in the next few years.
Mark O’Meara, the 1998 winner, has yet to say it, but this could be his final Augusta appearance as a player, and he is the oldest in the field. He will join all but Fred Couples off this list below next week at the Champions Tour Mitsubishi Electric Classic at Duluth.
All on this list (by age with birthdate) are in the World Golf Hall of Fame except Mize.
Mark O'Meara (Jan. 13, 1957): He first came to the Masters as a U.S. Amateur champ and recalled in a Golfweek interview that he said to himself that at least he got to play the Masters once. He later won in 1998 at a time when he wasn't playing particularly well and then won the British Open the same year. He hasn't broken 77 in a round in the past two Masters after shooting 68 twice while making the cut in 2015.
Bernhard Langer (Aug. 27, 1957): The two-time Masters champ (1985, 1993) has dominated the Champions Tour but has not fared well in Augusta in the past 11 years, making the cut only three times.
Sandy Lyle (Feb. 9, 1958): The 1988 Masters winner has missed the cut 19 times in 36 appearances.
Ian Woosnam (March 2, 1958): The 1991 Masters winner has made one cut in his past 16 appearances
Larry Mize (Sept. 23, 1958): The Augusta native and 1987 Masters champ has made cut the past two years and three of the past four.
Fred Couples (Oct. 3, 1959): He has made cuts in six of the past seven Masters and was T-18 a year ago. He had missed a Masters cut only three times in 32 appearances and won in 1992.
Vijay Singh (Feb. 22, 1963): He has missed the cut the past two years and hasn't shot a round in the 60s at Augusta since 2006. He was the winner in 2000.
By the numbers
$35,076,186.40
PGA Tour money winnings for Georgia Tech’s Matt Kuchar since January 2010. He has had four top-10 finishes at Augusta National (T3 in 2012, T8 in 2013, T5 in 2014, T4 in 2017) and has yet to win a major.
He said it
--Where's my jacket? – England's Justin Rose, twice a runner-up in the past three years at the Masters, when asked about his stats since 2012 in Augusta: most birdies and eagles, best greens in regulation percentage, best par‑5 score, best par‑4 score, best score under par since 2011.
Forecast
Thursday: Cool in the AM with temperature around 45 for the ceremonial tee shots around 8:15. Sunny and clear, but temps won't break 60 till after noon with a high around 68 at 5 p.m. Winds E-SE of only 4-5 mph.
About the Author
