No Masters contestant has ever won the traditional Par 3 Contest and then gone on to win at Augusta National the following Sunday.
For the superstitious player, that means making sure they don’t win on the short course. For Kevin Streelman, however, there was never a second thought about winning.
Streelman shot 5-under 22 on the par-27 course on Wednesday, landing himself in a playoff with Camilo Villegas, who made two holes-in-one in his round to match the 2014 Travelers Championship winner. On the third extra hole, Streelman prevailed.
The win is special, but made even more so because of who Streelman had on his bag.
Ethan Couch is 13 years old and has an inoperable benign brain tumor, learned two years ago when doctors tried to remove it. While doctors are managing Ethan’s tumor, his mother, Jennifer, wanted to do something for her son, so, as ESPN reports, she asked him to name a wish. For Ethan, it was easy: go to the Masters.
Streelman connected with Couch through his local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Streelman called Couch not only to tell him that he’d be going to the Masters, but that he would be his Par 3 Contest caddie.
