Par-3 Contest attracts celebrities, family

Wednesday’s Par-3 Contest thrilled celebrity stargazers who spotted notable names caddying for golfers and walking the course.

Professional tennis player Caroline Wozniacki carried the golf bag for her boyfriend, Rory McIlroy. Something comparable for McIlroy would be substituting as a ball boy on the tennis court, she said.

Wozniacki tested her golf skills at the Par-3 Course with a tee shot on No. 9.

“I think I should stick to tennis,” Wozniacki said after the shot plunked into Ike’s Pond. “I thought I’d get a second serve, but not this time.”

The divot traveled farther than the ball, McIlroy said jokingly.

“It was a nice way to spend a Wednesday,” he said. “It’s her first time here at Augusta, and I just wanted to show her a good time.”

Bubba Watson’s celebrity caddie was just over 1 year old. Watson’s wife, Angie, toted their son, Caleb, on her hip for most of the round. Wearing a miniature white caddie jumpsuit, black Adidas shoes and a green Masters hat, Caleb crawled around the ninth green, rolling his father’s ball into the hole and retrieving it.

Caleb clapped for himself before his father lifted him into the air twice.

“We were hoping he was going to be walking, but he’s just taken a few steps so he wasn’t quite able to make it around,” Angie Watson said.

Children along the ropes on No. 9 plotted how to get signatures from Masters champions Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, who high-fived adoring patrons.

Trace Van Pelt, son of Bo Van Pelt, wanted to linger at the end of the course to have the three golf greats sign golf balls.

Among other celebrity sightings was that of Condoleezza Rice, one of Augusta National Golf Club’s first female members and former U.S. secretary of state. She greeted players at the sixth tee box wearing her green jacket.

Paulina Gretzky, daughter of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, was also walking the course Wednesday. She is dating golfer Dustin Johnson.