AUGUSTA, Ga., April 6 (UPI) -- Luke Donald won the pre-Masters par-3 contest Wednesday, which tradition says rules him out of the running for the real tournament.
Donald, ranked fourth in the world, shot a 5-under 22 over the nine-hole, par-3 course, which is a part of the Augusta National Golf Club grounds.
No player has won the par-3 event and gone on to capture the Masters in the same year. Raymond Floyd came closest when, after winning the par-3 in 1990, he went on to lose the Masters in a playoff to Nick Faldo.
Floyd, at age 68, shared second place in the par-3 event Wednesday with 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera. They both shot 23.
Defending Masters champion Phil Mickelson shot a 25 and was tied for ninth.
The par-3 contest features former greats of the game in addition to the current superstars. As they have done for years, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer made up the feature threesome.
