AUGUSTA, Ga. – With friends and family members in tow, Ryan Moore made memories at the Masters on Wednesday.
Moore shot a 6-under 21 to win the Par 3 tournament at Augusta National, calling it a “perfect practice day.”
No one should consider it the perfect prelude to golf’s first major, though.
Since the Par 3 contest began in 1960, no winner has gone on to don the green jacket later in the week. Raymond Floyd (1990) and Chip Beck (1993) won the mid-week tournament and finished second on Sunday. But since no one has swept both events, making the Par 3 more of a curse than a forecast for the Masters.
“I’m not afraid of it,” Moore said. “You never know. Someone has got to break that curse at some point in time, so hopefully it’s me, if I end up winning. Who knows? I might go shoot 8 under or something, make a couple hole-in-ones. We’ll see.”
Moore made a relatively short putt on the ninth hole to get to 6 under. He finished one shot behind the Par 3 record held by Art Wall (1965) and Gay Brewer (1973).
Moore played the round with his 18-month-old son, Tucker, who got more attention as he pounded his plastic driver all around the course.
“It was fun having my boy out there and playing a round, you know, playing with a couple of friends,” Moore said. “That’s what it’s for, to kind of make you relax a little bit and just go and enjoy yourself the afternoon before.”
Kevin Stadler and Fuzzy Zoeller finished tied for second at 4-under 23. Bernhard Langer, Joost Luiten and Victor Dubuisson were another stroke back.