Eleven years ago, a Georgia native walked into Augusta National and spotted a golfer on the seventh hole. That meeting became a courtship, the courtship became a marriage, and the marriage became a tradition that plays out every Wednesday before the first round, in white, with a name stitched across the back. It is a tradition Jena Sims describes in a way Augusta’s official communications never would.

“I freak out every time I put this jumpsuit on,” Sims said ahead of Wednesday’s contest. “It is like the coolest honor.”

This is not about fashion. It is about access, something Augusta National controls tightly. The Par-3 Contest is a rare occasion when the club allows family members inside the ropes. Spouses, children, and partners serve as caddies, all wearing the same white jumpsuit with the player’s name and number. The uniform is standard, but each participant brings their own meaning to it.

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For Sims, wearing the jumpsuit feels like a ceremony. In a video before Wednesday’s contest, she showed viewers her routine: zipping up, adding charms to her necklace, arranging diamonds and emeralds, and wearing a hand chain “to feel a little more feminine.”

The jumpsuit belongs to Augusta, but the way she styles it is her own. Sims has shared her Augusta preparations for several years, making the uniform feel personal even though it never changes.

Sims and Brooks Koepka’s connection to Augusta began in 2015, when they met at the Masters. Over the years, they returned as a couple, then as husband and wife. In 2022, Sims first wore the caddie bib. By 2024, their son Crew joined them on the Par-3 course in his own jumpsuit. Augusta has become the backdrop for their family’s milestones.

Koepka has played the Masters 10 times but has yet to win a green jacket. His closest finishes were runner-up in 2019 and 2023. His 2026 campaign follows a challenging return to PGA Tour competition, with the terms widely reported. Throughout his pursuit of Augusta’s top prize, he has included his family by his side.

Sims is not the only one who has found something lasting inside that Wednesday tradition.

Jena Sims and the Par-3 contest: Where Augusta lets its guard down

The Par-3 Contest at Augusta is the one day the club relaxes its strict formality and allows families onto the course. For decades, this tradition has given the fairways to children and parents. What has changed is the level of attention it now receives.

Last year, Rory McIlroy’s daughter Poppy, then four years old, sank a 25-foot putt on the ninth hole using her father’s putter. The gallery erupted. Shane Lowry threw his hands in the air. McIlroy went on to win the Masters that same week, and Poppy’s putt outlasted the leaderboard in the memory of everyone who watched. McIlroy later credited that single moment with sparking his daughter’s love for the game. This year, she brought her own putter.

Tommy Fleetwood also let his son Frankie play shots during the contest, on a course known for its high standards. These moments are not distractions; they are central to what the Par-3 Contest has become.

Sims recognized early that the Par-3 Contest was changing. Since 2022, she has made the preparation itself part of the event, from outfit choices to social media posts. This year, her green outfit, made from eBay blankets, drew attention online before the contest began.

The white jumpsuit, given to every caddie, now represents more than tradition. Each person who wears it brings their own story to the event.