Getty Tony Finau will play it safer at this year's Masters Tournament Par-3 contest.
The 2019 Masters Tournament Par 3 contest will take place on Wednesday at August National. The event starts at noon ET, but coverage starts at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.
If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of the Masters Par 3 contest via ESPN+, the digital streaming service from ESPN that includes a bunch of different live sports, all the 30-for-30 documentaries and other original content.
You can start a free trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch the Par 3 contest on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
2019 Masters Par 3 Contest Preview
Augusta native Charles Howell III will be competing in his ninth Masters, but this will be the first time his children join him for the par-3 contest. His 8-year-old and 7-year-old will serve as his caddies.
“Having them here is special,” Howell said, according to The Augusta Chronicle. “I want them to understand what the Masters is — to understand where I grew up. This is the tournament that I walked around as a kid all the time. It’s what I did. Wednesday was always a fun experience, but this will be a lot more meaningful.”
Howell won the RSM Classic in November, earning an exemption into the Masters.
“It sounds cliche, but one of the first things I thought about was getting back here,” Howell said, per The Augusta Chronicle. “In my mind, I had just played a 72-hole qualifier for the Masters. A stressful one at that. It’s so hard to get an invite here that winning becomes a very big deal. Every player knows and thinks about it.”
The 39-year-old hasn’t competed in the Masters since 2012, when he tied for 19th with an even par. His best finish at the tournament came in 2004, when he tied for 13th, also at even par.
“I appreciate the invitation a lot more than I did before,” he told the paper. “It’s just wonderful to be here. It’s the greatest sporting event in the world and we’re lucky it’s in Augusta.”
Tony Finau Back on His Feet
Last year, Tom Watson became the eighth golfer to win the par-3 tournament multiple times, but his victory wasn’t the most memorable moment — that’d painfully belong to Tony Finau, who struck a hole in one then went viral by dislocating his ankle and tearing ligaments in celebration.
“I’m going to play the par 3 again this year and my kids will be with me again — but I can promise you there will be no repeat of what happened last year,” he said, according to The Sun.
“If I get another hole in one, the reaction will be a million miles away from what I did a year ago.”
Despite the brutal injury, Finau managed to play in the main event, tying for 10th at 7-under par.
“If it had been any tournament other than the Masters I would have withdrawn,” Finau said, per The Sun.
“But I had six hours before I teed off and the physios worked on it and gradually it felt a little better.”