For one afternoon, Augusta National belonged to the kids, the caddies, and the aces.

England's Aaron Rai shot six-under-par 21 to win the 2026 Masters Par 3 Contest on Wednesday, a one-shot victory in his second Masters appearance. [1] The triumph came with the sport's most famous asterisk: no winner of the Par 3 Contest has ever won the Masters Tournament in the same year. Golf's most reliable curse remains unbroken. [2]

The real spectacle was the holes-in-one. Four aces were recorded on the nine-hole course — by Justin Thomas on the second hole, Wyndham Clark, Keegan Bradley, and Tommy Fleetwood, whose ace outshone his son Frankie, who was caddying for him. [1] Fleetwood's ace drew the loudest roar of the day.

Then there was Kevin Hart. The comedian served as caddie for Bryson DeChambeau and promptly topped a ball into the water, providing the Par 3 Contest's annual reminder that professional golf is absurdly difficult and that famous people are mostly terrible at it. [3]

The Par 3 Contest exists in a different emotional register than the tournament itself. Players bring their children as caddies. Former champions — Mark O'Meara, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ian Woosnam — return to a course that forgives their age. The atmosphere is holiday rather than competition. [1]

Thursday morning brings the real thing. Round 1 of the 90th Masters Tournament begins at 7:40 a.m. ET. The azaleas are blooming. The greens are fast. And Aaron Rai, statistically, will not win.

-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos