News

The Masters changes eligibility policy for its Par-3 Contest

Published

9 years ago

Mar 13, 2017

One of the most exclusive events all year just got more exclusive. As reported by PGA.com, Augusta National has issued notices to honorary invitees that only “players in the field and past Masters champions” will be allowed to play in the Masters Par-3 Contest, which takes place on Wednesday of Masters week.

Before this news, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship winners received invitations to the Masters tournament for five years and were considered “honorary invitees” after that period. Past U.S. Amateur champions were also considered honorary invitees. That title allowed the invitees to play in the Masters Par-3 contest, use the practice facility and play in practice rounds.

Those perks are no longer available to the honorary invitees.

The decision affects a number of previous participants including Ian Baker-Finch, David Duval and Curtis Strange. See what those players told PGA.com about the situation below.

Ian Baker-Finch: “As a person and an honorary invitee, I’m disappointed because it was my favorite day of the year. I loved it. I’ll still be there, though, and I’ll watch like everyone else.”

David Duval: “I would never clog up the golf course when guys are trying to prepare. That’s the problem I would have had [with the practice rounds]… I guess [the par-3 contest] could be easily expanded if they started it earlier. But you have to protect it. You have to protect the competitors.”

Curtis Strange: “We had our time, and now it’s their time. I think it’s extremely nice that we’re invited to come back with your spouse. It’s been nice for these guys who want to hit balls and play practice rounds. But times change. I think with time constraints, they want to make it for players in the field. My sense is that the Par 3 was getting a little bit crowded and taking a little bit too long, and they wanted to streamline it. I think that’s fine.”

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GolfWRX Staff

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19 Comments

TONEY P

Mar 31, 2017 at 11:13 pm

I actually agree with the tournament people. What’s next a Pro am.

Reply Report comment
Miuralovechild

Mar 15, 2017 at 9:44 pm

I wish someone would win the par 3 and the tournament so everyone could shut the **** up and talk about something else. The only thing more irritating is hearing about the undefeated ’72 Dolphins every year.

Reply Report comment
Dave R

Mar 15, 2017 at 8:47 pm

Yes let them do what they want,they will anyway!

Reply Report comment
Mad-Mex

Mar 14, 2017 at 11:17 pm

Its their tournament, they can do what ever they want, don’t like it? Am sure there is 100 people ready to take your ticket

Reply Report comment
Jo Jo

Mar 14, 2017 at 10:09 pm

No more Nate Crosby

Reply Report comment
ooffa

Mar 14, 2017 at 3:22 pm

Same boring course year after year.

Reply Report comment
- C
  
  Mar 14, 2017 at 4:39 pm
  
  Guess you’d want them to move the Players, as well?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - ooffa
    
    Mar 15, 2017 at 8:32 am
    
    Yes, that is correct.
    
    Reply Report comment
Double Mocha Man

Mar 14, 2017 at 11:22 am

I’m still waiting for them to “float” a Cadillac on one of the ponds.

Reply Report comment
- C
  
  Mar 14, 2017 at 2:40 pm
  
  That’ll happen the same year they let fans walk around with actual beer bottles/cans instead of the Masters labelled plastic cups.
  
  Hopefully, never.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Darrin
  
  Mar 15, 2017 at 2:24 pm
  
  You will be waiting a long time.
  
  Reply Report comment
C

Mar 14, 2017 at 9:31 am

So no more letting kids putt?

Reply Report comment
Matt K

Mar 14, 2017 at 8:42 am

You had your time Curtis, not “we.” What about the guy who just won the US Am two summers ago, would’ve had a life of amazing Aprils, or at least when his schedule allowed him to go to Augusta. Sad day for the tournament. Bob’s tournament just got that much closer to the Frys.com classic. What’s next… lets stop inviting the US Mid Am champ, nobody cares about that guy anyway, he’ll just shoot two 76s and be on his way. This probably sounds dramatic, but The Masters is the last bastion of tradition in golf. Hate to see them erode any part of it… cuz usually there’s more to come.

Reply Report comment
- C
  
  Mar 14, 2017 at 9:59 am
  
  “The Masters is the last bastion of tradition in golf.”
  
  Don’t tell that to the R&A.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Matt
    
    Mar 14, 2017 at 12:59 pm
    
    You definitely have a point there… St. Andrews edges Augusta as my favorite place on Earth. Should’ve said “American Golf.”
    
    Reply Report comment
- DeShamBeau
  
  Mar 14, 2017 at 6:40 pm
  
  “Traditional golf”. Hahahahahahahahahaha
  
  Reply Report comment
Forsbrand

Mar 13, 2017 at 5:13 pm

Let Michelle Wie play 🙂

Reply Report comment
- Don Julio
  
  Mar 13, 2017 at 11:20 pm
  
  Settle down.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Jack Nash
  
  Mar 15, 2017 at 11:34 am
  
  With her tabletop putting style?
  
  Reply Report comment

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News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 OccuNet Classic

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

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With the PGA Tour across the border in Canada this week, GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore stayed stateside and headed to the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank in Amarillo, Texas.

It’s always interesting to see what the guys are playing on the KFT, and this week certainly hasn’t disappointed so far, with some incredible wedge stamping on display.

Check out links to all our albums below.

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2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT) – Monday #1

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Luke Potter’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT)

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From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @HuskerFlyer is sharing a Scotty Cameron GOLO with a BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition shaft. While the putter is certainly enviable, the Augusta-inspired shaft is equally noteworthy.

From the listing:

Scotty Cameron Golo 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition Scotty Headcover 34″ $375

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.