Clark: Par three winner
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South African Tim Clark grabbed the dubious honour of winning the annual pre-Masters par-three competition at Augusta.
The fun competition is played on the short course adjoining the main Augusta National lay-out, but no winner of the tournament has ever gone on to win the Masters.
Clark finished with a five-under par round of 22 after a hole in one on the ninth and final hole, which gave him a two-shot lead over Jose Maria Olazabal and American amateur Jack Newman.
Although Clark will now have to make history to follow compatriot Trevor Immelman into the famous green jacket, the 33-year-old insists he is not worried about the trend and can break the hoodoo this weekend.
"Why not? I'm not really superstitious," Clark said. "Obviously I'm doing something right this week. Why can't it carry over?
Win
"It's just nice to get a win. It's a big thrill. It's a fun tournament for us."
Sandy Lyle and Ian Poulter both won nearest-the-pin prizes, and Gary Player, who plays his record 52nd and final Masters this year, was joined by fellow greats Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer for the competition.
73-year-old Player dunked his tee-shot in the water at the ninth, but them amazingly reloaded and found the hole with his third shot for the most unlikely of pars.
"That was an exciting par," said Player. "My seven-year-old grandson said: 'Gramps you still got it'".
It is now Clark, who finished as runner-up to Phil Mickelson in the 2006 Masters, who will have to break the par-three hoodoo.
"It's one tournament you don't want to win," said 1979 Masters champion Fuzzy Zoeller.
"History will tell you, you don't want to win."
