The Masters 2026: Family fun and holes in one – why par 3 contest crosses generations
The galleries were shouting his name as the young player tried to fulfill the promise he made 12 months ago: his promise to clear the water with his putt on the final ninth hole.
A year older, bigger and stronger – and armed with a special club – he had made it his mission to take on what had become a personal challenge.
“I think about it every day when I go to the gym,” Frankie said in one of numerous television interviews during the tour.
Described as a “gossip” by his father, Frankie showed he was a different person off the old block by speaking confidently in front of the camera, steeling himself for success and swinging the bat with style.
Expectation was built on the course as the Fleetwood family, again playing with the McIlroys and Lowrys, played until the ninth inning.
Young Frankie went all the way to the right on his first attempt and came a close second after Augusta bosses cheered him on to give him another chance, but he was still wet. He walked with the comforting arm of Shane’s daughter, Iris Lowry – who herself had come close to hitting the field – around her shoulders.
“I think more than anything the pressure was on me to keep going into the Masters until I hit the green in the ninth,” said his father Tommy, who continues his quest for a first major title this week after a couple of top-five finishes.
Fleetwood set up his short game with a hole-in-one that sent the patrons roaring; American trio Justin Thomas, Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley also dredged up the aces to up the fun factor.
Bradley, who captained the United States in last year’s loss to Europe in the Ryder Cup, became the first player in the 66-year history of the competition to make several consecutive holeshots.
The noise in the galleries may level out as the sports drama intensifies throughout the week, but chaos inside the ropes (kids sliding down the dugouts) will replace the usual intimacy of the main event.
Jason Day, a father of five, jokingly described the event as a “circus” and Clark added: “As a childless man, I will say it’s great birth control, but it’s also a lot of fun.”
Celebrity stardust came in the form of comedian Kevin Hart, who joined the cast of three-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau, and former NFL star Jason Kelce, who took on the role of a roving reporter on the course.
Their presence came hours after Augusta president Fred Ridley discussed the Masters’ ongoing struggle to find the balance “between respecting tradition and innovation.”
On that evidence, the Par 3 Contest is well over the line, and the Masters is looking to ensure that it, and golf, remains relevant for decades to come.
