"I Don't Want to Win the Par-3 Contest"...The 'Masters Jinx'

Poor Main Tournament Results for Par 3 Contest Winners

Nightmare of the 12th Hole: The "Indian Curse"

Inclement Weather Delays in Years Ending with '3'

The stage of dreams is set. The prestigious Masters Tournament will kick off on April 9 (local time). This year, as always, it will be held at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, United States (par 72, 7,565 yards). The Masters is celebrating its 90th edition this year. With its deep tradition and history, the tournament has also developed many things that players would rather avoid—namely, a variety of jinxes unique to the Masters.

The Par-3 Contest, which began in 1960, is a prime example. The winner of this event has never gone on to don the coveted green jacket at the main tournament. This traditional event is held the day before the main tournament opens, on nine par-3 holes located near Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Players often bring their wives, girlfriends, and children as caddies and fully embrace the festive atmosphere.

The winner of the Masters' par-3 contest has a jinx of failing to reach the top in the main tournament. Provided by PGA

No one wants to win it. To date, the best finish by a Par-3 Contest winner in the Masters has been runner-up, achieved by Raymond Floyd in 1990 and Chip Beck in 1993 (both from the United States). Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) even skipped the Par-3 Contest altogether in 2016. Recently, more players have been participating in the Par-3 Contest to create memories, but many choose not to submit their scorecards to avoid being included in the official results.

Augusta National is a course that even top-tier golfers find difficult to conquer. While the overall length is not particularly long, the greens are extremely challenging. Shooting scores in the 60s for four consecutive days is a rare feat. For a long time, achieving four rounds in the 60s was considered impossible. This jinx was broken in 2020 when Cameron Smith (Australia) posted rounds of 67-68-69-69 over four days, becoming the first player in Masters history to shoot all four rounds in the 60s. Smith ultimately finished tied for second alongside Im Sungjae, behind Dustin Johnson (United States).

The 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Club, the battleground of the Masters, is a nightmare hole where strange things often happen. Photo by PGA

The 12th hole (par 3) is notorious as a nightmare spot. It is a hole where players often suffer devastating triple bogeys or worse. Although the hole measures only 155 yards, a precise "computer iron shot" is required to land in the narrow space between the creek in front of the green and the bunker behind it. Locally, there is even a superstition that "an American Indian burial ground was discovered here in 1931," leading to the belief that strange things often happen on this hole. In reality, Bubba Watson recorded a septuple bogey with "nine on, one putt" during the fourth round in 2013, while Jordan Spieth (both from the United States) collapsed with a quadruple bogey after "six on, one putt" during the fourth round in 2016.

“The Great White Shark” Greg Norman (Australia) developed a love-hate relationship with the Masters. Despite competing for 22 consecutive years from 1981 to 2002, he was never able to claim victory, finishing runner-up three times—in 1986, 1987, and 1996. In 1996, he infamously squandered a six-shot lead on the final day by shooting a six-over-par round. There was even a saying that "an Australian can never win the Masters." This “Aussie drought jinx” was finally broken when Adam Scott won in 2013.

The Masters Tournament has a history of bad weather in years ending in "3." In both 1973 and 1983, severe weather delayed the conclusion of the tournament by a day. In 1993, the second round was suspended due to bad weather, and in 2003, the first round could not be played as scheduled. In 2013, rain fell during the tournament, but fortunately, it did not affect play.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.