Clark wins after ace
Fun for the young and young at heart
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Though Gary Player's last shot of the Par-3 Contest on Wednesday wasn't officially a hole-in-one, it was just as good for those watching.
After hitting his first tee shot into the water, Player's second attempt went in for the day's most thrilling par.
"That was an exciting par to do," Player said. "My grandson, he's 7, he said, 'Gramps, you still got it.' "
A couple hours earlier, playing in the second group of the day, Tim Clark made a hole-in-one on the final hole. That ace put Clark at 5-under, which gave him a victory at the Wednesday tradition.
The ace was Clark's second in two years on the ninth hole.
"It's been good to me," Clark said of No. 9. "It was an exciting finish. I figured I needed to make it to have a chance to win."
Clark will try to become the first player to win the Par-3 and the Masters in the same year. He said he's not worried about the jinx.
"I'm not one who believes in superstition," Clark said. "It's extremely tough to win on Augusta National, so I've got my work cut out for me."
Many players had their young children caddie for them Wednesday, including defending Masters champion Trevor Immelman, who had his son putt for him on the final hole.
Justin Leonard, Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington and Boo Weekley also had their children caddie for them.
Greg Norman, who aced No. 6, had his wife, former tennis star Chris Evert, as his caddie.
John Merrick had the day's other hole-in-one, on No. 2 .
After making par on the second hole, Phil Mickelson stopped and posed for a picture with a young man in a wheelchair.
Toward the end of the Par-3, many players had their caddies play the final hole, which led the remaining patrons to keep watch for wayward tee shots.
"It's a great way to start the week," Clark said. "I come here to have fun, and this is certainly a fun event."
Two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal and amateur Jack Newman tied for second at 3-under.
PAR-3 SCORES
1 Tim Clark -5 22
T2 Jack Newman -3 24
T2 Jose Maria Olazabal -3 24
T4 Carl Pettersson -2 25
T4 Sandy Lyle -2 25
T4 Aaron Baddeley -2 25
T4 Miguel Angel Jimenez -2 25
T4 Justin Rose -2 25
T4 Craig Stadler -2 25
T4 Jerry Pate -2 25
T4 Wen-Tang Lin -2 25
T4 Greg Norman -2 25
T4 Mathew Goggin -2 25
T4 Fred Couples -2 25
T4 Mike Weir -2 25
T4 Nick Watney -2 25
T4 Tom Watson -2 25
T18 Gary Player -1 26
T18 Todd Hamilton -1 26
T18 Chad Campbell -1 26
T21 Luke Donald E 27
T21 Nick Faldo E 27
T21 Ben Crenshaw E 27
T21 Ian Baker-Finch E 27
T21 Ken Duke E 27
T21 Stewart Cink E 27
T21 Graeme McDowell E 27
T21 Lee Westwood E 27
T29 Larry Mize 1 28
T29 Alvaro Quiros 1 28
T29 Angel Cabrera 1 28
T29 Andres Romero 1 28
T33 Stuart Appleby 2 29
T33 Jeev Milkha Singh 2 29
35 Paul Azinger 4 31
T36 Arnold Palmer 5 32
T36 Danny Lee 5 32
T36 Kevin Sutherland 5 32
T39 Fred Ridley 6 33
T39 Y.E. Yang 6 33
CLOSEST TO THE PIN
HOLE PLAYER DISTANCE*
1 Tim Clark 11.00
2 John Merrick 0.00
3 Mitchell C. Voges 5.25
4 Rory Sabbatini 16.88
5 Sandy Lyle 4.00
6 Greg Norman 0.00
7 Zach Johnson 18.00
8 Ian Poulter 18.00
9 Tim Clark 0.00
* in inches
