The jinx associated with the Par-3 Contest won’t be worn by any of the 94 golfers teeing it up today when the 81st Masters begins.
Mother Nature made sure of that Wednesday.
Only two groups were able to complete their 9-hole rounds in a subdued version of the fun event before the horn was sounded signaling the end of play because of approaching storms.
This means for the first time since the Par-3 started in 1960, the popular event was cut short. With no winner, the streak remains alive of the person winning the Par-3 never going on the same year to win the Masters .
Patrons were asked to leave the course shortly after 10 a.m. The course reopened at 12:30 p.m. and the Par-3 began at that time. The contest lasted for about an hour before the course was closed for the day.
But those two groups finishing Wednesday — and a few of the players still on the course — did entertain the small crowd with some moments to remember.
Webb Simpson and two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson were the first group to finish. But it was 5-year-old Caleb Watson stealing the show as a putting machine.
After Bubba finished the ninth hole he dropped a ball about 6 feet away from the hole for Caleb to putt. Caleb made the putt with pace much to the delight of the patrons.
Bubba then dropped a ball about 18 feet away from above the hole and Caleb nestled the slow roller in.
“We put him in the spot where you can make them to make him look good,” Watson said. “Naw, it’s fun. This is a dream come true any time you can come out with your kids. Right now he doesn’t understand but he ate in the Champions Locker Room today and one day this is going to be an amazing story for him.”
Mike Weir had the lone hole-in-one of the day.
“It’s amazing,” Weir said of his 9-iron shot on No. 4. “This was my second hole-in-one (during thePar 3-Contest); my first happened 10 years ago on No. 2 when I was playing with Jack Nicklaus. I have to say, though, this one was sweeter.”
Weir’s girlfriend, Michelle Money, served as the Canadian’s caddie.
“My girlfriend and I actually talked about it,” Weir said. “I said, ‘This would be the ultimate if I could get a hole-in-one with you.’ I guess she’s my good luck charm.”
Other highlights included Charley Hoffman’s ricochet off a tree at No. 1 finishing a few feet from the hole, and Louis Oosthuizen’s caddie, Wynand Stander, hitting a pitching wedge at No. 9 within four feet and making the birdie.
“That was a pitching wedge from 114 yards and he nearly holes it,” Oosthuizen said. “I was very skeptical. I didn’t think he’d hit the green and then he made a two.”
Said Stander: “I was a little shaky standing with the club. But I really enjoyed that. It was such a thrill and hopefully that’s good vibes for what’s in store this week.”
Playing golf, however, is secondary to the real joy the Par-3 brings players, Oosthuizen and Simpson said. The kids of the players are dressed in the traditional Masters all-white caddie overalls with their last name on their back.
“That’s a lot fun,” Oosthuizen said. “It’s a shame not everybody got to do it today. I was here on Saturday and put our names in and we were near the first off and got lucky to do nine holes. We are doing this for the kids and they had a blast.”
Simpson said it’s a day he will always cherish.
“This (Par-3 Contest) is the thing I look forward to the most with this tournament, to be honest,” Simpson said. “It’s a special day. I have four kids and today is a thing I’ll remember my whole life.”
Staff writer Doug Stutsman contributed to this article.