The Masters 2026: Aaron Rai wins Par 3 Contest after Tommy Fleetwood makes ace and Kevin Hart appears as caddie
Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark all made hole-in-ones at the Par 3 Contest; Aaron Rai claimed a one-shot victory ahead of The Masters, live on Thursday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf
Wednesday 8 April 2026 23:30, UK
England’s Aaron Rai claimed a one-shot victory in The Masters Par 3 contest, as Tommy Fleetwood outshone his son Frankie with a stunning hole-in-one at Augusta National.
Rai registered six birdies in a bogey-free 21 around the nine-hole course, where players - past and present - are joined by family members and friends for the annual Wednesday event ahead of The Masters.
The Englishman finished a shot ahead of tournament debutants Jacob Bridgeman and Johnny Keefer, with Rai now looking to become the first player in history to win the Par 3 Contest and The Masters tournament in the same week.
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"The experience was phenomenal," Rai said. "We shared the round with Patrick Reed and Jon Rahm, who had their family and kids out. I was there with my wife as well. Yeah, just a lovely day. Definitely didn't expect to play quite as well as I did!"
Fleetwood was playing alongside Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy, returning to the event for the first time since he completed the career Grand Slam last April, with the reigning champion firing a hole-in-one at the fourth and one of four players to make an ace.
Justin Thomas carded the first of the tournament by holing his tee shot at the par-three second, with Wyndham Clark following suit at the seventh and former Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley making a hole-in-one on the eighth hole.
Just 17 players carded an official total, with many of the field not registering their scores after letting wives, partners, friends, children and grandchildren take shots for them during the event.
Fleetwood's ace came with son Frankie as his caddie, with the eight-year-old facing huge media attention - following last year's viral interview - ahead of his two unsuccessful attempts to reach the green off the ninth tee.
Bryson DeChambeau had comedian Kevin Hart on his bag, while ex-NFL lineman Jason Kelce - brother of Super Bowl-winning star Travis - was serving as Akshay Bhatia's caddie.
"It's really cool to see somebody that's that big of a superstar getting into the game of golf," DeChambeau said about Hart. "He's just gotten into the game seven months ago and for him to finally see what it is like at this high level is really cool."
Former Masters champion Mark O'Meara won the nearest-the-pin challenge on the first and ninth holes without adding to the hole-in-one tally, with Sam Burns going three inches away from an ace at the fifth.
Gary Player posted a one-over 28 ahead of him returning as one of the Honorary Starters on Thursday morning, joining Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson on the first tee to officially get the 90th edition of The Masters under way.
When is The Masters live on Sky Sports?
Wall-to-wall coverage from the tournament begins at 2pm on Thursday, with Featured Group action and regular updates from around the course available on Sky Sports Golf until the global broadcast window begins at 6pm.
The same timings will apply on Friday, before an earlier start kicks in for the weekend - with coverage starting at 4.30pm ahead of full coverage getting under way at 5pm and lasting until long after the final putt is holed.
The notorious Amen Corner stream will also be available, focusing on the famous three-hole stretch from the 11th, with that Featured Group offering also available on the Sky Sports+ channel.
A feed of the fourth, fifth and sixth holes will go live each day as soon as the opening group reach that part of the course and another stream covers the 15th and 16th holes, with Featured Groups also available on Sky Sports+.
Who will win The Masters? Watch the opening major of the year exclusively live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the first round begins on Thursday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.
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