Imago
Sep 18, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) shown on the court against the Atlanta Dream during the first half during game three of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Imago
Sep 18, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) shown on the court against the Atlanta Dream during the first half during game three of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Each April, Augusta National dedicates a Wednesday to a tradition that isn’t about winning. The Par 3 Contest, held since 1960 on a nine-hole short course built by Clifford Roberts, is all about family caddies in white jumpsuits, laughter among the Georgia pines, and kids who see Ike’s Pond as their challenge. Most children finish the day smiling, no matter what happens. But for one eight-year-old, this Masters afternoon has ended the same way two years in a row, with his tee shot landing in the water.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
On April 8, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark posted, “Do we think Frankie Fleetwood reaches the green this year?”
Frankie has a clear goal he hasn’t reached yet. For two years in a row, he has stood on the ninth tee of the Par 3 course, 120 yards from the green behind Ike’s Pond, but hasn’t made it. In 2024, his shot landed in the water. In 2025, he attempted once more but fell short. After last year’s try, he gave a calm and sincere interview that made Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry wonder if Tommy had put him through media training.
Top Stories
“I’ve been practicing as hard as I can. Just not reaching it this year, but I’m just trying my hardest,” little Frankie said.
Tommy Fleetwood spoke about his son’s chances with warmth this year, though he didn’t sound fully convinced.
“Yeah, I mean, it is a big talking point in our house. I’m unconvinced that he can carry it. He very positively thinks that he can. And you know, as long as it’s a good shot, like I’m kind of okay with this.”
During his Augusta press conference this week, Tommy sarcastically identified where the real pressure lies.
“I think more than anything, the pressure is on me to keep making the Masters until he reaches the green on the ninth.”
Do we think Frankie Fleetwood reaches the green this year ?
— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) April 7, 2026
The Par 3 course has become a stage for the next generation. In 2018, Gary Nicklaus Jr. holed out from the ninth tee, a moment Jack Nicklaus himself called a Masters highlight. Last year, Poppy McIlroy sank a long putt on the same green, drawing cheers from the crowd. In 2025, Sammy Spieth started the contest with a steady opening shot for his father. Frankie Fleetwood has witnessed each of these moments, but his opportunity remains.
Clark’s question did not come from nowhere. She carries a handicap of around 16, has competed in the ANNIKA Pro-Am two years running, played alongside world No. 1 Nelly Korda in 2025, and has named Fleetwood as her favorite golfer for years. Before his final round at the 2025 Tour Championship, she posted “This has to be Fleetwood’s day” hours before he closed out a three-stroke win at East Lake to claim the FedEx Cup.
For Clark, golf is a serious pursuit rather than a display of fandom. She follows tournaments closely, tracks developments across both the PGA and LPGA circuits, and immediately recognized the significance of the Frankie storyline as one of Augusta’s most compelling recent subplots.
The challenge surrounding this subplot predates most players in the current field. Frankie’s Wednesday challenge draws on 65 years of precedent, which offers little optimism.
The Masters Par 3 Contest curse that Augusta cannot shake
Since Sam Snead won the first Par 3 Contest in 1960, no player has managed to win both the Par 3 Contest and the Masters in the same week. The closest anyone has come was Raymond Floyd in 1990, who won the Par 3 but lost the Masters in a playoff to Nick Faldo.
Recent results have not changed the pattern. Rickie Fowler won the Par 3 in 2024 and finished tied for 30th in the Masters. Tom Hoge won in 2023 and missed the cut. Nico Echavarria won last year and finished 51st. Tiger Woods, aware of the superstition, has consistently avoided winning the Par 3, and he adjusted his approach on Wednesday as a result.
The Par 3 course and the main course at Augusta are next to each other, but that’s where the similarities end.
The Par 3 Contest was designed as a break from the intensity of the Masters, offering players and their families a brief respite before the tournament begins. This clear separation is likely a key reason why no player has managed to win both events in the same week and why the question of whether the so-called curse can be broken remains relevant.
Frankie Fleetwood is focused on the immediate challenge in front of him: a 120-yard shot that has eluded him for two consecutive years. The pond remains, and so does the question of whether anyone can break the longstanding pattern.
Written by
Edited by
Riya Singhal