WHERE TO GO: Par-3 Contest

McIlroy (PGA Tour)

Arrive early and pick out a good spot at the Par-3 Course for this afternoon's tune-up to the main event.

The Par-3 Contest began in 1960, and through the years it has evolved into a fun, family-oriented event. It's not uncommon for players to use their young children as caddies, and sometimes celebrities make an appearance wearing the familiar white caddie coveralls.

No player really wants to win because of the jinx. No one has won the Par-3 and the Masters in the same year.

MEET THE ROOKIE: Rory McIlroy

Q: Have you enjoyed the challenge of Augusta National?

A: It's different than any other golf course because you have to play so many shots. There's so many different variations, and I think you have to have a good imagination for it as well.

Q: How do you keep from getting overwhelmed this week?

A: I thought I would be nervous hitting my first shot here. But you know, I think maybe if I was a little younger and maybe if I played here as an amateur, it would have been a little different and I would have been in awe of the place.

Q: What was the first Masters you watched on television?

A: The first one that I can remember is when (Nick) Faldo beat (Greg) Norman in '96.

The teen sensation is making his first Masters appearance. The 19-year-old from Northern Ireland won the Dubai Desert Classic for his first win on the European Tour and comes into the Masters as the No. 17 player in the world.

WHAT TO EXPECT: State of the Masters

Augusta National and Masters Chairman Billy Payne gives his annual "State of the Masters" address this morning at 11.

Payne most likely will talk about any changes that are planned to the course, and he will provide an update on current initiatives, such as Golf Goes Worldwide, and the upcoming Asian Amateur Championship, whose winner will be invited to compete in the 2010 Masters.