AUGUSTA, Ga. — Wednesday at Augusta National is a day for family, especially for those playing in the field. Masters participants can invite their wives, girlfriends, and children to join them at the Par 3 Contest, with many of them hitting shots themselves.
It’s a day unlike any other in golf, a day that celebrates what makes this game so great: togetherness among young and old alike, among those whose love for one another extends far beyond a cosmic realm. Sporadic shots from non-players may go all over the place, but the only constant on this special Wednesday is the smiles worn by everyone on the property, from patron to player and everyone in between.
No wonder Jack Nicklaus, who won six Green Jackets, the last of which came with his son caddying for him in 1986, famously said that his favorite Masters moment came during the 2018 Par 3 Contest. His grandson, G.T., aced the par-3 9th hole, which led the Golden Bear to say, “This is the greatest day I’ve ever had at Augusta National.”
For Jordan Spieth, whose first Masters title came 10 years ago, the Par 3 Contest represents a “Full Circle” moment for him.
“I used to play it with myself, Justin [Rose], and Rickie [Fowler], and we were doing hole-in-one bets,” Spieth said on Wednesday morning after getting some last-minute practice in.
“Now I’ve just got to make sure that Sammy doesn’t hit somebody. It’s very, very different — very full circle. I used to see the kids out there, [and used to think], ‘Man, that seems too far away.’ Now I have two walking around with a third on the way.”
Spieth and his wife Annie welcomed their son Sammy in November 2021. Sophie then came in September 2023, right before Spieth teed it up at the Ryder Cup. As Spieth referenced, their third child is due in July, per Golfweek. But that did not stop a six-month pregnant Annie Spieth from accompanying her husband to Augusta National with their two children.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Spieth said.
“It’s a special day. This place is unlike any other. We don’t do this anywhere else. [Sammy is] going to love it. My daughter now, she’s spunky. She’ll be walking around some. We’ll see how she does. She’s only a year and a half, but I’m excited to have both of them out there.”
Spieth 10 years later
Does it seem like he won The Masters 10 years ago?
“In some ways yes; in some ways no,” Spieth said.
“Yeah, it was a different place in life for me than I’m at now. But at the same time, it kind of all blends together here too, so it can feel like it’s yesterday at the same time. It’s good memories, but I feel like I can grab another chance this week. I was playing the 16th yesterday, and I was thinking of 2018, when I went on a run on Sunday. I was hitting a putt, and I’m like, man, you just take for granted being in contention on Sunday here. I was doing it a lot early on. It’s just like there’s no cooler place to do it, no better feeling. So the goal is to get yourself on the back nine and have a chance.”
The year before he won, in 2014, Spieth entered the final round in a tie for the lead with Bubba Watson. He actually held a two-shot lead over Watson after making a birdie on the 7th hole, but back-to-back bogies — while Watson made two straight birdies — flipped the script and handed the Southpaw a two-shot lead at the turn. Spieth did not make a par-breaker for the rest of the day, posting an even-par 72 to lose by three.
We all know what happened in 2016, when Spieth held a one-shot lead over Smylie Kaufmann going into Sunday. He then looked destined to win back-to-back Green Jackets after a front nine 32, which featured five birdies and only one bogey at the challenging par-4 5th. But he came completely undone at Amen Corner, dropping shots at 10 and 11. He then plunged a pair of shots into Rae’s Creek in front of the 12th green. He made a quadruple bogey seven there, which all but handed the title to Danny Willett. Spieth, the defending champion, had to stand there in Butler Cabin and helplessly watch the Englishman take what he thought would be his.
Two years later, in 2018, Spieth made an incredible run up the leaderboard on Sunday, which fired up the golf world. Spieth was 9-under for the day on the 18th tee, and 14-under overall, but a wayward tee shot clipped an overhanging branch and his ball settled over 300 yards away from the green. He ultimately made five, carded an 8-under 64, and lost to Patrick Reed by two.
He has posted a pair of top-5s at Augusta National since then, in 2021 and 2023, but during that time, his perspective on life has completely changed.
“I just have different priorities now, right? I’ve got a growing family, and I love being a very hands-on dad. So trying to work smarter and not work harder. It’s hard to say not working harder. I’ve probably worked as hard as ever in the last eight months,” Spieth added.
“But at the same time, doing it in a really smart way. Trying not to waste any shots during the day and stay committed to the process.”
A lingering wrist injury, in which he suffered ahead of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in 2023, also set him back a bit. But the rehab and all of the trouble associated with that only added to his already full plate of being a professional golfer and a father. He finally had surgery on his wrist last August and returned to the PGA Tour in early February at Pebble Beach.
“It’s still a significant work in progress right now. That just goes to some of the consistencies. But it’s really just a swing here, a swing there from a couple of runner-ups or a win already in a few different events. Luckily around here, I know what to avoid when trouble comes. Hopefully that works in my favor,” Spieth said.
“It’s close, but it’s not quite there yet. That doesn’t mean that you don’t find it through this week. I mean, when I started back up [after surgery], it was a 10-year outlook, not an April of ‘25 outlook. It’s a little too much to ask to feel I’m the best I’ve ever been coming off surgery. So I try to hit the fairway on No. 1 tomorrow, and then I try to hit the middle of the green, and I go from there.”
Jordan Spieth has learned to take things shot by shot on the golf course and day by day at home, all while prioritizing his family first.
Maybe that perspective will help him this week. Maybe not. But whatever the case may be, the Par 3 Contest, more so than anything, shows the man Spieth has become — a family man, far away from the young adult he was in 2015. And yet, we all know he still has that brilliant play inside of him, that style that almost won him three consecutive Masters from 2014 to 2016.
That said, the one thing Spieth continues to do after all these years is that he never fails to entertain. Regardless of this week’s outcome, he will continue doing that at Augusta this week. Talk about a full circle indeed.