Luke Donald won the 2011 Par 3 Contest at Augusta National Golf Club by shooting 5-under, ensuring he will not win the Masters Tournament itself. No Par 3 winner has ever also won the green jacket in the same week. Tourney fave Phil Mickelson shot 2-under, with a complete list of contest scores and standings available at the official Masters site.
The event, known for its frequent holes-in-one, saw only one ace today. Craig Stadler scored a single on the 130-yard hole No. 1, the 73rd such score in contest history. Stewart Cink thought he recorded a solo on hole No. 9, but the ball lipped out and wound up about a half-foot away while Cink hugged and high-fived his various caddies. That final hole is designed to produce maximum aces, with a slight bowl surrounding its cup, but drew many near-misses today.
Francesco Molinari wound up just four inches away from a hole-in-one on hole No. 6, with Mike Weir landing under a foot away from hole No. 7 on his first stroke.
Jack Nicholson, Gary Player, and Arnold Palmer were among the vets who got to play at the just-for-funsies pre-tourney novelty event. It's a fun event to watch, with all the players commenting on their own performance and the senior players grunting and straining for maximum comedy.
For more on the tournament, check out the rest of our 2011 Masters StoryStream or head over to Waggle Room and SB Nation Atlanta.