Masters Par 3 Contest 2013 results: Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar lose to Ted Potter in playoff

Some scorecard confusion notwithstanding, Ted Potter was crowned the Par-3 Contest winner after a playoff.

By Brendan Porath Apr 10, 2013, 7:05pm EDT

After a day of scorecard miscommunications, the 2013 Masters Par-3 contest ended in a five-way tie at Augusta National Golf Club. Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Ernie Els, Nick Watney, and Ted Potter, Jr. all finished at 4-under, playing the nine-hole par-3 course in 23 strokes. The event then went to a playoff between Mickelson, Potter, and Kuchar, with Potter crowned the winner after 6 p.m. ET -- nearly four hours after Mickelson finished up.

The confusion set in when Mickelson hopped all over the leaderboard, from the early leader to the "Not Scored" designation at the bottom of the board. Mickelson was settled at the top of the board for almost an hour after he finished, and then the folks at Augusta gave him the "NS." Mickelson, however, said it was unintentional:

Mickelson swears he wanted to win today's Par 3 Contest. Shot 4 under, but now says, "Bubba didn't turn in my card." #par3jinx #masters
— Craig Bestrom (@GDCraigeeBee) April 10, 2013

About an hour later, he then re-appeared at the top of the leaderboard, "NS" gone and an official score entered. Drama!

Had it remained in the five-way tie, the 50-year curse of no Par-3 winner backing it up with the big win on Sunday may have been in jeopardy. Those five guys are some of the biggest names and most decorated players in the game. Unfortunately, it went to the lesser-known Potter, who will carry the burden of breaking the jinx.

Ben Crenshaw and Nick Watney carded the two holes-in-one on the day, pushing the grand total to 77 for this event, which started in 1960.

More than 60 players did not sign their card, with the jinx looming and the informal nature of the event making it hard to keep it official at times. Here's Emily Kay with more on-site observations from a fun day at the Augusta's "little course."