England’s Aaron Rye won the Masters Par 3 Contest, while Tommy Fleetwood made a stunning hole-in-one to outscore his son Frankie at Augusta National to win by one stroke.
Rye posted a bogey-free 21 with six birdies on the nine-hole course, which features past and present players with family and friends at the annual Wednesday event that precedes the Masters.
The Englishman was one stroke ahead of tournament debutants Jacob Bridgman and Johnny Keefer, and Rye is now aiming to become the first player in history to win the Par 3 Contest and the Masters Tournament in the same week.
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Keegan Bradley, Windham Clark and all the aces of the Masters Par 3 Contest at Augusta National.
“The experience was phenomenal,” Lai said. “We shared a round with Patrick Reed and Jon Rahm who were out with their families and kids. I also attended a round with my wife. Yeah, it was a really nice day. I definitely didn’t expect to play as well as I did!”
Fleetwood, playing alongside Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy, returned to competition for the first time since completing his career Grand Slam last April, with the reigning champion hitting a hole-in-one on the fourth, making him one of four players to score an ace.
Justin Thomas holed his tee shot on the par-3 second hole for the first card of the tournament, Windham Clarke followed on the seventh hole and former Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley hit a hole-in-one on the eighth hole.
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Justin Thomas hits his first hole-in-one in the Masters 2026 Par 3 Contest, hitting his tee shot on the second hole
Only 17 players earned official cards, and many in the field did not register their scores after having their wives, partners, friends, children and grandchildren take shots during the event.
The Fleetwood ace had his son Frankie as his caddy, and the eight-year-old faced significant media attention following a viral interview last year, before making two failed attempts to reach the green from the ninth tee.
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Tommy Fleetwood’s son is back in the Masters Par 3 Contest, but will he be on the green this year?
Bryson DeChambeau has comedian Kevin Hart on the bag, and former NFL lineman Jason Kelce, brother of Super Bowl-winning star Travis, caddied for Akshay Bhatia.
“It’s really cool to see a superstar like that come into golf,” DeChambeau said of Hart. “He only got into the game seven months ago, but it’s really great to finally understand what the game is like at this high level.”
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Bryson DeChambeau and Kevin Hart reveal unlikely partnership in Masters par 3 contest, Hart puts golf talent to the test
Former Masters champion Mark O’Meara won the challenge of nearest-the-pin on the first and ninth holes without extending his hole-in-one record, while Sam Burns came within three inches of an ace on the fifth hole.
Gary Player shot a 1-over 28 on Thursday morning before returning as one of the honorary starters to officially start the 90th Masters on the first tee alongside Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.
When will the Masters be broadcast live on Sky Sports?
Wall-to-wall coverage of the tournament will begin at 2pm on Thursday, with regular updates from around the course and featured group action on Sky Sports Golf until the global broadcast slot begins at 6pm.
The same timing will apply on Friday, with an early start heading into the weekend. Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m., with serious coverage beginning at 5 p.m. and continuing long after the final putt is holed.
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Rory McIlroy completed a career grand slam by defeating Justin Rose in the playoffs last April.
The infamous Amen Corner stream will also be available to watch, focusing on the famous three-hole stretch from No. 11, and that featured group of programming will also be available on the Sky Sports+ channel.
Feeds for holes 4, 5 and 6 will be live every day as soon as the opening group arrives on that part of the course, with separate streams covering holes 15 and 16, and featured groups will also be available on Sky Sports+.
Who will win the Masters? Watch the opening match of this year’s Major live exclusively on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the first round will begin on Sky Sports Golf from 2pm on Thursday. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
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