Aaron Rai Wins The Masters Par 3 Contest
In a thrilling display, England’s Aaron Rai secured a narrow victory in The Masters Par 3 contest, edging out tournament debutants Jacob Bridgeman and Johnny Keefer by a single shot. Notably, Tommy Fleetwood captured attention with a remarkable hole-in-one alongside his son Frankie at Augusta National.
Rai achieved six birdies during his flawless round, recording a score of 21 on the nine-hole course. This event, held annually on the Wednesday prior to The Masters, sees professional golfers joined by family members and friends in a lighter, celebratory atmosphere.
With his victory, Rai now aims to become the first golfer in history to win both the Par 3 Contest and The Masters within the same week. Expressing his joy, he remarked, “The experience was phenomenal. I was there with my wife, and it was just a lovely day. I didn’t expect to play as well as I did!”
Fleetwood, playing with Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy—the latter returning after achieving the career Grand Slam—also made headlines for his hole-in-one on the fourth hole. Other players, including Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, also notched aces during the event.
Out of a total of participants, only 17 recorded official scores, as many players opted to let their family members take shots for them. Fleetwood’s son, Frankie, faced significant media attention, especially after last year’s memorable interview, even attempting to reach the green twice from the ninth tee.
Unique partnerships emerged during the contest, including Bryson DeChambeau sporting comedian Kevin Hart as his caddie and NFL star Jason Kelce assisting Akshay Bhatia. DeChambeau praised Hart’s enthusiasm for golf, noting he had only entered the sport seven months prior.
Meanwhile, former Masters champion Mark O’Meara clinched the nearest-the-pin challenge on both the first and ninth holes. Gary Player made his mark too, finishing with a one-over 28 before returning as one of the Honorary Starters alongside golfing legends Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson for the official start of the 90th edition of The Masters.
