Wednesday’s now famous Par 3 contest, the pre-cursor to the year’s first major – will feature only former winners and the current field after the Masters revoked playing rights to honorary invitees.
Honorary invitees – who include U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship or U.S. Amateur winners – have been sent a letter informing them that they will not be able to tee off on Wednesday or play in pre-tournament practice rounds.
‘It’s sad,’ former British Open champion and world number one David Duval said reacting to the news. ‘But I understand it. Maybe there’s not enough spots in the Par 3.’
‘As a person and an honorary invitee, I’m disappointed because it was my favorite day of the year,’ former Open champ Ian Baker-Finch said told the Associated Press. ‘I loved it. I’ll still be there, though, and I’ll watch like everyone else.’
In the past, honorary invitees were also allowed to play Augusta National or use the facilities until Thursday, but those privileges have also been revoked.
‘I think with time constraints, they want to make it for players in the field,’ US Open champion Curtis Strange told the AP. ‘My sense is that the Par 3 was getting a little bit crowded and taking a little bit too long, and they wanted to streamline it. I think that’s fine.’
The Masters begins on 6 April with England’s Danny Willett the defending champion.
