Colombia’s Nico Echavarria won the only golf tournament in the world that nobody wants to win last night – The Masters Par 3 Contest.
Every year at Augusta National, tensions cool on the Wednesday of Masters week so the Par 3 course can host a wholesome, family-friendly event.
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Nicolas Echavarria (right) won the Par Three Contest with his girlfriend, Claudia De Antonio, operating as his caddieCredit: Getty
Players, joined by adorable young kids in boiler suits, unwind for a few hours in the northeast corner of the property and try to make hole-in-ones.
US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka both made aces on the sixth hole, with fellow American Tom Hoge recording one on the fourth.
Not all players choose to take part – Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy often opt out to focus on the major itself – while others do not submit an official score as they let caddies or family members hit shots.
But those may not be the only reasons why golfers seemingly go out of their way to avoid winning.
That’s because no golfer has ever won the Par 3 Contest and subsequently donned the Green Jacket at that year’s edition of the Masters.
This year, it was World No.48 Nico Echavarria taking down JJ Spaun in a two-hole playoff to claim victory.
And he may live to regret it.
The closest man to breaking the curse was Raymond Floyd, who won the Par 3 Contest in 1990 and had a four-shot lead with six holes to play in the main event, only for Sir Nick Faldo to edge him in a play-off.
Even more alarmingly, only one golfer has ever won the Par 3 Contest and then gone on to claim their first ever Masters title.
Even still, Vijay Singh had to wait six years for his maiden Green Jacket in 2000 after winning the Par 3 Contest in 1994.
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Echavarria defeated J.J. Spaun in a two-hole playoff for the victoryRecent Par 3 Contest WinnersYearWinnerMasters Finish2013Ted Potter Jr.CUT2014Ryan MooreCUT2015Kevin StreelmanT122016Jimmy WalkerT292018Tom WatsonDNP2019Matt WalaceCUT2022Mackenzie Hughes/Mike WeirT50/CUT2023Tom HogeCUT2024Rickie FowlerT30
Ben Crenshaw is the only other golfer to win the Masters at any point in their career after victory at the Par 3 Contest – and he already had a Green Jacket when he won the pre-tournament event.
But some have suggested that even past champions are not safe from the kiss of death.
Golfing legends Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson won multiple Green Jackets, but never claimed another after winning the Par 3 Contest.
Meanwhile, recent victors on the short course have not only failed to win the Masters, but also performed quite poorly in it.
No golfer has even won the Par 3 Contest and finished inside the top ten for more than a decade.
However, those who prefer their glasses half full might say Echavarria now has the chance to break a curse that stretches back to its creation in 1960.
