The build-up to The Masters has been extraordinary this year, with Tiger Woods announcing he will compete, and the weather playing its part, but one thing sure to offer some calm among the chaos is the traditional warm-up event, the Par-3 Contest.
The Par-3 Contest returns to the schedule this year for the first time since 2019 following Covid-related cancellations over the past two years. Previous Masters champions and this year’s Masters field are invited to take part – often with family members in tow, in a competition that offers players a gentle and lighthearted way to ease their way in to proceedings ahead of the first round of the main event the following day.
The short nine-hole course is located in the northeast corner of the Augusta National grounds, playing over DeSoto Springs Pond and Ike's Pond. Not surprisingly, the total yardage of the course is dwarfed by the record 7,510 yards of this year’s revamped Augusta National.
In total, the 2022 Par-3 Contest takes place over a 1,040 yard course, The longest hole is the142-yard par 6, while the shortest is the second hole, at just 74 yards. Given the calibre of players to have graced the Par-3 Contest since its inception in 1960, it’s hardly surprising that there here have been a sizeable number of holes-in-one over the years – 94 before the 2022 tournament, including a record nine in 2016.
Among the competitors in the 2022 contest will be Rory McIlroy, who has revealed he will be accompanied by his one-year-old daughter, Poppy, as the final touches to players' preparations before The Masters take place with one of the most beloved nine holes in the sport.
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