Watch: Remember this caddie ace from the 2018 Masters Par 3 Contest?
By T.J. Auclair · April 10, 2019
The Masters is a “tradition unlike any other” filled with traditions unlike any other.
One such tradition is the annual Par 3 Contest, played every Masters Wednesday.
No player has ever won both the Par 3 and the tournament proper in the same week, a fact the players are reminded of every year.
Not a big deal, however. The Par 3 Contest is all about fun. It’s a chance to see the children of the world’s top players look adorable in their miniature Masters caddie jumpsuits as they tag along inside the ropes with dad.
It’s a chance to see legends like Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson “compete.”
It’s typically an afternoon off for regular caddies, as players partaking in the par 3 instead turn to friends or loved ones for the 9-hole loop. And for those who aren’t in contention for the crystal pedestal bowl awarded to the winner, it’s common to let the caddies hit a shot or two.
That was the case in 2018. Nicklaus, playing alongside Player and Watson, had his 15-year-old grandson, G.T., caddying. When the group of legends – with 11 Masters victories and 35 major wins between them – reached the ninth hole, Nicklaus asked G.T. if he wanted to hit a tee shot.
G.T. obliged and what happened next gave the world of golf goosebumps…
Watch Jack Nicklaus’ grandson, Gary, ace the final hole of the 2018 Par 3 Contest. #themasters pic.twitter.com/pk2FTqprwv
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 4, 2018
Are you kidding? What a moment.
It seemed only fitting that the grandson of the man with a record six Masters wins be the first caddie in history to record an ace in the Par 3 Contest.
That’s just the kind of thing that people with the last name “Nicklaus” do at Augusta National.
Having Player commentate the ace was a nice touch, too.
Listen in as @garyplayer narrates Gary Nicklaus Jr.’s hole-in-one on No. 9 of the Par 3 Contest. #themasters pic.twitter.com/9NTARoy3gE
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 4, 2018
And how about the words in this tweet from the proud grandpa?
With all due respect to @themasters, allow me to put my 6 Green Jackets in the closet for a moment and say that I don’t know if I have had a more special day on a golf course. To have your grandson make his first hole-in-one on this stage…. WOW! #Family #memoryofalifetime pic.twitter.com/3TSLwlV0m9
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) April 4, 2018
It’s hard to imagine there will ever be a moment like that one again in the Masters Par 3 Contest.
