Fun, smiles and holes in one in Augusta, Georgia, for the “par 3 contest”, the show that precedes The Masters, the first men’s Major to kick off today in the USA. The competition was won by American Tom Hoge who will now try to distinguish himself as the first player to wear the ‘Green Jacket’ after making him the ‘par 3 contest’
For Hoge, a 33-year-old from Statesville, success is also a hole in one. But there are five aces made during the event, two of which made by Irishman Seamus Power.
Masters, hole in one
Scottie Scheffler, world number 1 and reigning champion of The Masters, and Bubba Watson, among the faces of the Arab Superleague, also signed off on the exploits.
To give the show not only the plays of the champions, but the smiles and hugs of the big names with their children and wives. The tournament began in 1934 as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament on the initiative of Bobby Jones, [1] who was also the designer of the course with Alister Mackenzie, and Clifford Roberts, a New York investor.
In 1939 the tournament changed its name to the current one and since 1940 it has been held every year in the first full week of April. The best professionals from all over the world participate, as well as amateurs who hold the title of champions of the United States and Great Britain.
The selection criteria are very strict, even more than other majors. This means that the number of participants is around 100, against the approximately 160 of the other major tournaments. In fact, in addition to the past winners of the Masters, the winners of the last five editions of the other majors, of the last three editions of the Players Championship, the first four classified of each major of the previous year (but the first 12 of the last Masters) are admitted.
, the top 50 of the previous year’s Official World Golf Ranking and the top 50 of the current year (as of the week preceding the tournament), the qualifiers of the Tour Championship of the previous year and the champions of the Amateur tournaments.
Among the multiple winners of this tournament are Jack Nicklaus, who won it 6 times (most recently in 1986, at the age of 46), and Tiger Woods, who won it 5 times (first in 1997 , at 21 years and 3 months, thus becoming the first black player and the youngest to win in the history of the tournament).
In 2017 Sergio García manages, after having participated in 73 majors without a victory, to win the Masters by beating the English Justin Rose in the playoffs.
