Rickie Fowler wins Masters Par 3 Contest, five players make ace

Before the Masters starts Thursday, there was one more tradition unlike any other to enjoy: Wednesday's Par 3 Contest.

Rickie Fowler carded 5-under 22 to win the Par 3 Contest. Fowler finished two strokes clear of Sepp Straka, J.T. Poston and amateur Santiago de la Fuente.

The Par 3 Contest was contested Wednesday, as per tradition, at Augusta National's nine-hole par-3 layout just a stone's throw from the tournament course. Players signed up to compete in groupings of up to three players, with several spouses and children also enjoying the action inside the ropes – caddying and sometimes even hitting a few shots.

In addition to Fowler's glittering crystal bowl for winning the Par 3 Contest, five players also earned hardware for recording holes-in-one Wednesday. Luke List recorded the day's first ace, followed by Gary Woodland, Sepp Straka, Lucas Glover and Viktor Hovland.

No player has won the Par 3 Contest and the green jacket in the same year, but who's to say this year can't be the first? Fowler will strive to break that streak amidst the loblolly pines.

Read below for a capsule look of Wednesday's aces and memorable moments at the Masters Par 3 Contest, a tradition unlike any other that precedes a tradition unlike any other.

4:19 p.m.: The cup is filling up at the 141-yard sixth, the latest magic trick coming at the hands of Viktor Hovland.

The Norwegian cards Wednesday's third ace at No. 6, the day's fifth hole-in-one overall. Hovland's ball lands on the front of the green and takes a couple hops before grabbing and spinning back toward the hole; it trickles in with sublime pace. Hovland raises his hands with a mischevious smile as the patrons roar in appreciation. Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on the scene, clapping in appreciation as well.

Hovland isn't keeping an official score, but the moment will remain etched in time nonetheless. Rickie Fowler (5 under) maintains the clubhouse lead that he has held for some three hours.

3:27 p.m.: Lucas Glover makes Wednesday's first ace at No. 7, the day's fourth hole-in-one overall. Glover's tee shot lands on the green's back-right portion, some 50 feet from the hole, but it carries plenty of zip and releases all the way back into the hole. The Clemson alum throws his hands in the air and high-fives his playing partners Brian Harman and Harris English, along with family on the scene.

3:20 p.m.: Nearly two hours after posting 5-under 22, Rickie Fowler maintains the clubhouse lead at the Par 3 Contest. Sepp Straka and J.T. Poston share second place in the clubhouse at 3 under, with Matt Fitzpatrick (through 7) and Sungjae Im (through 6) still on the course at 3 under.

2:27 p.m.: Austria's Sepp Straka makes an ace at the 142-yard fifth, the day's third hole-in-one overall (the first two coming at No. 6). The ball lands just a few feet past the hole and spins in; Straka leaps into the air as the ball drops into the cup.

2:20 p.m.: After Gary Woodland finds the water on the eighth hole, leading to a triple bogey, Rickie Fowler (5 under) has assumed a three-stroke lead over Woodland and Austin Eckroat.

Woodland's son Jaxson drains a 12-foot birdie from just off the green's front edge at No. 9, followed by a raucous family celebration. It means Woodland's score won't be official, but hearts are warm across the board.

1:40 p.m.: Gary Woodland records the day's second ace (both on the 140-yard, par-3 sixth hole); his tee shot lands roughly 30 feet long-right of the flag and spins back softly, dripping in the hole with perfect pace. It marks Woodland's first ace at the Par 3 Contest. He's now 5 under through six holes, co-leader with Rickie Fowler (in the clubhouse).

1:30 p.m.: Rickie Fowler makes an 8-foot birdie at the ninth to post 5-under 22. He's the leader in the clubhouse thus far.

1:15 p.m.: Scottie Scheffler is underway at the Par 3 Contest, with his sister Sara on the bag, dialing in yardages amidst back-and-forth with the broadcast crew.

Scheffler's wife Meredith is not on-site this week, as she is "a few weeks" from the due date for their first child. "Meredith's resting up," Scheffler said. "We're a few weeks away, so we could not get the OK from the doctors."

Were Meredith to enter labor during the Masters, Scheffler would leave immediately, he said Wednesday, regardless of his leaderboard position. "That is extremely factual; I will be out of here," he said. "I think first child wins, over many things in my life."

1:05 p.m.: Local hero Luke List makes the first ace of the Par 3 Contest. The Augusta resident spins it back and in at the 140-yard sixth hole.

12:50 p.m.: Gary Woodland is joined at the Par 3 Contest by his three kids, Jaxson, Maddox and Lennox. It's an emotional scene for Woodland, who underwent brain surgery last September to remove a lesion, which was situated on a tract that caused fear. "I was very fear-driven every day, mostly around death," he said in January.

Now he's playing the Masters, and the journey isn't lost on him. Far from it. "This is what it's all about," Woodland said on the first tee at the Par 3 Contest. "This is what the fight was for."