Give Me a ‘1’ There

Denver native Wyndham Clark aces the test at Masters Par-3 Contest, making the 117th hole-in-one in the event’s history

By Gary Baines – 4/8/2026

It certainly wasn’t the first hole-in-one ever in the Masters Par-3 Contest; there had been 116 before. It wasn’t even the first one of the 2026 Contest; Justin Thomas aced the second hole earlier on Wednesday. And it wasn’t even the only one in the group on Wednesday; 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley made a 1 on the following hole.

But Denver native and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Wyndham Clark will go down in the record books as among those who have celebrated holes in one at Augusta National’s par-3 course on the eve of the Masters.

The Valor Christian grad, set to compete in his third Masters, aced the seventh hole from 107 yards, hitting hit past the hole with a 56-degree wedge and watching the ball roll back — and to the left — and into the cup. He threw up his arms and then celebrated with his girlfriend, playing partners (Bradley and Gary Woodland) and their families. And, of course, it was all caught on national/international TV by ESPN.

“It’s been tough to judge the wind,” Clark said later on the ESPN telecast. “We all (go), ‘It’s got a chance.’ Then the fans start standing up. And it went in. It was pretty awesome.

“I had my girlfriend on the bag. She’s got a hole-in-one the first time around (as a caddie. That’s) pretty good. She did a good job.”

Wyndham Clark celebrates his hole-in-one on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, with playing partner Bradley then acing the 109-yard eighth hole, the third member of the threesome, Woodland, was left the odd man out in the ace derby.

“We definitely had some money on (the contest),” Clark said. “We make the first one and everyone is excited. The second one goes in and I think Gary was not as excited as Keegan and I. He had an expensive day.”

Clark said that — including par-3 courses, like the one at Cherry Hills Country Club, where he grew up — he’s made more than 40 aces in his life.

In all on Wednesday, the Par-3 Contest featured four holes-in-one, with Clark, Thomas and Bradley being joined by Tommy Fleetwood.

Clark didn’t post a score on Wednesday since he didn’t complete all nine holes on his own — he hit one ball into the water — but was shown to be 3 under par on the holes he did finish. 

As for the Masters itself, Clark missed the cut in his debut in 2024 and finished 46th last year.

For all the scores from the Par-3 Contest, CLICK HERE.