Matt Wallace is off to a great start.
In his first Masters, Wallace won the Par-3 contest with a playoff win over Sandy Lyle on Wednesday. He bested the 61-year-old 1988 Masters champion on the third playoff hole after each finished 5-under par.
It can get better for Wallace if history does not hold up as no winner of the Par-3 contest has gone on to win the Masters.
Wallace recorded one of four holes-in-one on the day.
Lyle had a stretch of four straight birdies from holes No. 2-5.
Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer and amateur Devon Bling tied for third at 4-under par.
Bling had one of the four holes-in-one record with an ace on No. 7.
“Oh, I mean, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way,” Bling said. “First Masters, first Par 3, hit a great shot, it went in, and, yeah, that's the best thing that’s ever happened in the world.”
Three other holes had holes-in-one with Shane Lowry on No. 2, Mark O’Meara on No. 5 and Wallace at No. 8.
After glow of women’s event
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said he continues to get praise from the first women’s amateur tournament that concluded with the final round at the famed course last week.
“What I’m not sure I fully anticipated was the emotional response, which was something that I’' still really glowing about; and that is that, of everybody involved, certainly of the players, who had an opportunity to compete on a stage unlike any they had ever competed on; but beyond that, and certainly their families and their friends and everyone involved with the players; but beyond that, I think I was really heartened by our staff and the way that our staff really was motivated and inspired by this effort. I think it made us a better organization.
“I'm also very proud to hear so many members who have come up to me and say how proud they are, and to say that they have never been prouder to be a member of Augusta National.
“So it’s those emotional, those subjective elements, that I'm not sure I fully anticipated, but it's been something that we've been very pleased about.”
Weather update
After a near perfect day on Wednesday – sunny and 80 degrees – rain is in the forecast for much of the competitive rounds of the Masters.
The forecast for the rest of the week at Augusta National calls for:
Thursday: Partly cloudy, 83/64 degrees, 10 percent of precipitation
Friday: Scattered thunderstorms, 83/67, 50 percent
Saturday: AM thunderstorms, 85/67, 50 percent
Sunday: PM thunderstorms, 85/57, 90 percent
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