By Frank Pingue
AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) – Ireland’s Seamus Power finished the Masters Par-3 Contest in style as he hit back-to-back aces on the final two holes of the short course at Augusta National on Wednesday.
Power, whose brother caddied for him, hit a sand wedge on the 120-yard eighth hole that landed 30 feet beyond the pin and spun down the slope into the cup and essentially copied that shot on the 135-yard closing hole with the same ball.
“It’s a dream come true,” Power said after carding two of the five holes-in-one recorded on Wednesday. “Obviously, to get one was special, but to get the second one was a bit surreal. It was an absolute blast out there.”
It marked the first time the 36-year-old Irishman, a two-times winner on the PGA Tour, recorded consecutive holes-in-one which he said brought his career total to 16.
“Being able to share it with my brother out there, that was probably the best part,” said Power, who will make his second Masters start on Thursday after finishing joint 27th last year.
“I don’t know whether it carries into tomorrow, but it’s certainly a lifelong memory that I’ll treasure for a long time.”
There have now been 106 holes-in-one made in the history of the light-hearted nine-hole event at Augusta National which began in 1960 and allows players to use friends and family as caddies.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue, editing by Ed Osmond)
