Golf: Aces rain on Par-3 day at Augusta

Three-time Masters winner Gary Player sank one of nine aces during the Par 3 contest. Photo Getty
Three-time Masters winner Gary Player sank one of nine aces during the Par 3 contest. Photo Getty

They're a tough crowd to please at Augusta National - even if you are the reigning Masters champion.

World No 2 Jordan Spieth was playfully booed on Masters eve after failing to produce a third consecutive hole-in-one during the annual Par-3 competition.

After watching Justin Thomas knock his 130-yard tee shot into the hole at the fourth hole, Spieth looked on in amazement as Rickie Fowler backed it up with an ace of his own.

As the crowds chanted his name, Spieth could only hit it to six-feet - prompting fits of boos followed by howls of laughter.

"It might have been the hardest shot I ever had to hit trying to follow them," Spieth said.

"I witnessed Mr (Jack) Nicklaus make an ace last year here ... to see Justin make it his first time here, and then Rickie to follow up, that's got to be a first time at Augusta National."

There were a record nine hole-in-ones on Wednesday (local time) spread across six of the nine par-3s - the biggest roar reserved for 80-year-old three-time Masters winner Gary Player after he aced the 115-yard seventh.

"It was just the right speed, but I'm just stunned when you tell me there were so many holes-in-one today. The odds are 20 million to 1," Player said.

American Jimmy Walker produced an ace of his own on his way to a record eight-under 19, winning the tournament by a whopping three shots as he became the first person to break 20 in the tournament's 57 year history.

But the par-3 crown is something of a poisoned chalice, with no winner of the contest having ever claimed the green jacket in the same year.

The Australian contingent used the contest for a bit of family time - young Dash Day hamming it up for the crowds as caddie for dad Jason.

Cameron Smith had father Des on the bag, but he refused an invitation to take a swing on the ninth hole for fear of putting it into the crowd.

Steven Bowditch and Ian Baker-Finch did in fact hit a spectator each, with Baker-Finch almost getting an ace of his own off the rebound.

Marc Leishman's wife Audrey made an emotional appearance with sons Harvey and Ollie, a year after almost losing her life to toxic shock syndrome.

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