Fowler wins Par 3 Contest ahead of Masters return

Rickie Fowler has returned to the Masters after a three-year absence, and already he's been able to lift up a trophy.

The question now is whether that will cost him a chance to slip on a jacket.

Fowler won the traditional Par 3 Contest at Augusta National on Wednesday (Thursday AEST), making his way around what many consider the most picturesque piece of the property in five-under par. That was good for a two-stroke victory over Sepp Straka, J.T. Poston and Santiago de la Fuente, and earn Fowler the glittering crystal bowl that goes to the winner.

Yet nobody has won the Par 3 Contest, first played in 1960 and won by Sam Snead, and the green jacket in the same year, leading some to believe in a curse.

"Sitting on the couch, it's one of the few events that you would watch as a fan and professional golfer, but it's a lot better when you're a part of it," said Fowler, who spent most of three years chasing his game before winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic last year in a playoff.

"Great way to start - I guess not start of the week; been working at it the last few days.

"It's been kind of long time coming to get back to here. Special place. One of my favourites."

The serious business of the Masters begins Thursday, though.

Fowler is scheduled to set out at 10.06am local time in a group with fellow American Patrick Cantlay and Australia's Min Woo Lee.

The Par 3 Contest was all about fun.

It was about Fowler playing alongside Jordan Spieth, both of their young kids dressed in miniature versions of the traditional white boiler suits that caddies wear at Augusta National.

There was Bubba Watson, the two-time Masters champion, giving his putter to his daughter, Dakota, and watching her drain a long one.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler had his sister, Sara, on the bag but nobody had more caddies than Tony Finau, though, who once dislocated his ankle celebrating a hole in one during the Par 3 Contest but popped it back into place and went on to finish that Masters in the top 10. Along with his wife, Alayna, they had their five children also in tow.

Speaking of aces, there were five of them.

Luke List, who calls Augusta his hometown these days, had the first, though it wasn't his first in the contest. He had one way back in 2005, after he had earned a Masters invitation with the a runner-up finish at the US Amateur.

Straka, Viktor Hovland, Gary Woodland and Lucas Glover also had aces on a warm, sun-drenched afternoon, perhaps the last of the sunshine for a while with thunderstorms and wind gusts up to 55 km/h forecast for the opening round.

"If it's (the wind) switching all the time, then it becomes a little bit trickier," 2017 champion Sergio Garcia said.

"On a course like this, where you have to be so precise in every single shot that you hit, when you play with that amount of wind, it becomes very, very challenging.

"At the end of the day, it's all about hitting the shots ... you know, as simple and as difficult as that."

With Reuters.