I watched over an hour of the Par 3 contest today on ESPN. I especially liked the feature group, the "Big 3" of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player. I watched the interesting dynamics between the three giants of golf. On the telecast, Andy North noted that even though this was "just for fun", all three desperately wanted to beat the other. I could tell, as on 2, Arnold hit a bed tee shot - Jack gave him a hard time (which happens on virtually any course in America), and Arnold did not look happy. I just thought it was a glimpse into the interactions between them. Before my father passed away, he told me about Nicklaus and Palmer in the 60's and 70's and their heated rivalries. I thought about that as well as I watched them. As always, I thought Gary Player exuded class and dignity.
Another interesting side note - you always see a son/daughter/spouse/parent hit a putt or two in this competition. What I did not know was that as soon as that happens, your score becomes invalid as far as winning the Par 3 competition. That makes sense logically, as someone else hit a shot of yours. Then, I started to wonder....of the leaders (Luke Donald, Rickie Fowler, Peter Uihlein (A)) - they DIDN'T let a son/daughter/spouse/parent hit a putt...Did they not have family or friends for a caddie? Did they really want to win the Par 3 contest? I should point out that the winner of the par 3 contest has NEVER won the Masters...I would definitely have a friend or family member hit a putt for me if I could somehow make it to the Par 3 tournament....just a thought...
The Masters begins tomorrow....I think Phil has a great chance to win, but I would like to see Ian Poulter. I like his style, ease with social media and opinions, and his game. He's a favorite of mine.
Let me know what you think....I'll be checking it out on Thursday!
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