AUGUSTA, Ga. – Wednesday is the oddest day of the week at The Masters.
There are no player press conferences. The only formal interview features the Masters chairman, now Fred Ridley, who takes questions on everything from course alterations to the international youth competitions.
In the afternoon, the players compete (or pretend to compete) in a par-3 competition, an event that has become so popular that the par-3 course is packed every year.
Some players play practice rounds in the morning, and some skip the par-3 tourney. No player who has ever won the par-3 tournament has won the subsequent Masters.
Because it’s a short, pitch-and-putt course, some of the greats of the game can hit spectacular shots, and holes-in-one are not unusual. The tourney is televised by ESPN from 2-4 p.m. Central.
The tournament begins on Thursday morning, after ceremonial tee shots by Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson.
Some tee times of interest for Thursday:
7 a.m. (Central): Former Gopher Erik van Rooyen will be the first competitor on the first tee, along with Jake Knapp.
