What If No One Wins The Masters Par 3 Contest?

80% of the Field, including all 9 LIV Golf participants, turned in an NS at The Masters Par 3 Contest this year, meaning just 17 players' scores actually counted for the competition.

The Question

Since its inception in 1960, there has been AT LEAST one winner every year the contest was played (3 ties and 3 cancellations). But we propose a question: what if NO ONE posts a full 9-hole score?

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The Answer

Before we answer, we went to the source (www.masters.com) to read their depiction of the scoring, or lack of, for the Par 3 Contest and found this:

"Not every Par 3 contestant posts a score, however. Many prefer to enjoy a leisurely stroll around the nine holes, occasionally having their caddies attempt a chip or a pitch or tap in a putt."

This year, only 17 of the 85 players posted a score, while the rest took the path of leisure at the event that some challenged at its founding, according to The Masters own website:

"The original idea for the Par 3 Contest came from Augusta National Chairman Clifford Roberts. He conceived of it as a potentially distinctive pre-Tournament attraction, but not everyone shared his vision. Roberts had to overcome resistance from within the ranks of the Club's members, some of whom derided the notion of a 'Tom Thumb course.'"

However, the official ruling on our query is not clear from the source, so, like all good users of the internet, we turned to AI in hopes of some clarification. And after microseconds of scouring all available information, there is no answer. That's it.

Congratulations, Aaron Rai.

Data, quotes, and images courtesy of Masters Media Hub