
How many holes-in-one were recorded during the 2025 Par 3 Contest? And who made them?
The Par 3 Contest is in the books and history will show that just three holes-in-one were recorded in 2025.
Keegan Bradley got the fun started with an ace on No. 6. Tom Hoge later made one on No. 4. Later in the day, Brooks Koepka made one on No. 6 as well, his shot seemingly having gone too far, but it checked, rolled back and went in.
These three holes-in-one bring to 115 the total of aces in the Par 3 Contest since it started in 1960. It's the 49th time there as at least one ace.
The ninth hole has the most aces over the years with 26. The sixth had just six all-time, although three hit there a year ago.
Gary Player has the most career aces in the Par 3 with four. He's also the oldest to do it, having made one in 2016 at age 80.
Who was closest to the pin on each hole during the 2025 Par 3 Contest?
Hole Player Distance 1 Adam Schenk 7 inches 2 Noah Kent 25 inches 3 J.J. Spaun 18 inches 4 Tom Hoge Hole-in-one 5 Davis Riley 3 inches 6 Keegan Bradley, Brooks Koepka Hole-in-one 7 Larry Mize 15 inches 8 Bryson DeChambeau 5 inches 9 N. Hojgaard 49 inches
Nico Echavarria won the Par 3 Contest, but history shows that no Par 3 winner has ever gone on to win the Masters in the same week.
What do players get for closest-to-the-pin?
According to tournament officials:

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
CBS Announces Retirement Of Longtime Golf Announcer
CBS Announces Retirement Of Longtime Golf Announcer originally appeared on The Spun. CBS Sports will soon lose a long-time member of its golf team. Ian Baker-Finch announced Tuesday that he's retiring as a golf broadcaster. The 64-year-old will conclude his career by calling the Wyndham Championship on Sunday, Aug. 3. "Golf has been an enormous part of my life. I was fortunate to compete against the best players in the game and more recently work with the very best in television," Baker-Finch said in a CBS statement. "To my CBS Sports family — my teammates, producers, directors, and crew — thank you for your extraordinary talent, dedication, and camaraderie. You've made every moment in the booth a joy, transforming broadcasts into cherished memories. To my colleagues across the industry and golf fans around the world, your support and shared love for this game over these decades have meant everything." Baker-Finch compiled 17 professional wins over his playing career, including the 1991 Open Championship. He missed 10 consecutive major cuts after tying for 10th in the 1994 Masters. The Australian began his broadcasting career in 1998 as a golf commentator for ESPN. He's worked at CBS as a hole announcer since 2007. Baker-Finch will call two more tournaments for CBS before stepping down in two weeks. 'As a major champion during his successful playing career and over three decades in broadcasting, Ian Baker-Finch distinguished himself as one of the most respected and trusted voices in golf," CBS Sports CEO David Berson said.. "As he announces his retirement, we'll miss his passion, insight, warmth and steady presence on the air but know he will continue to make his mark across the world of golf. Finchy will always be part of the CBS Sports family, and we thank him for being an incredible teammate and friend, and for his immeasurable contributions the past 19 years at CBS."CBS Announces Retirement Of Longtime Golf Announcer first appeared on The Spun on Jul 22, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.


USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Stop comparing Scottie Scheffler to Tiger Woods — and just enjoy this spectacle
Whoever said writing about golf for a living was a glitzy occupation obviously didn't see a scribbler trying to cobble together a column in an Open Championship media center that's being dismantled around them. As our base last week at Portrush was slowly razed to the ground amid a dizzying cacophony of bashing, clattering, boring and battering, the working environment had all the glamour of a flustered toilet break at a dreary motorway service station. Your correspondent's general mood was not helped by an ailing laptop that had been showing signs of giving up the ghost. Over the weekend, for example, the R and the T buttons on the keyboard were only working intermittently. That, as you can imagine, caused a bit of an issue for a spell as we started feverishly typing away like Angela Lansbury during the opening credits of an episode of "Murder, She Wrote." Scottie Scheffler would often appear on my Word document as Scoie Scheffle, Portrush came out as Poush and Robert MacIntyre was diminished to obe MacInye. To be fair, it probably made more sense than what I usually type, but the computer caper became a right old pain in the a***. And even that came out as ase. We got there in the end, though. Another Open is done and dusted. Perhaps I should've just flung the laptop on the media center pyre too? Scheffler was a brilliant champion at a brilliant venue. I also thought he dealt brilliantly with the inevitable and wearisome comparisons to Tiger Woods, too. 'I think they're a bit silly,' he said about the prospects of emulating the 15 major titles that Woods racked up. In this game, we are never done with premature anointings and coronations as we seek a new golfing hero for the ages. Rory McIlroy, for instance, was tagged with that burdensome 'next Tiger' label when he won a quartet of major championships between 2011 and 2014. We all know what happened after that. He didn't win another until this year's Masters during a prolonged drought that just about led to a hosepipe ban. Jordan Spieth had the Tiger sticker slapped on his back when he won three majors between 2015 and 2017, while Brooks Koepka had it pinned on him for a spell when he reeled off four in a two-year blitz. The magnitude of Woods' accomplishments, of course, continues to dwarf all that the new generation has achieved. In an era of relative parity in the men's game, Scheffler, who became the 12th successive first-time winner of The Open, has emerged as its dominant force, but it's important to enjoy the present and savor watching him pen his own success story instead of obsessing about him rewriting Tiger's tale. Establishing a Tiger-like tyranny on the global game would require Scheffler to continue his sustained excellence over a ridiculous period of time. More: Unassuming? Scottie Scheffler's hometown experience at Chipotle defines feelings on fame While all and sundry work themselves into a fankle about the prospect of Scheffler doing this, that and the other in the weeks, months and years to come, the man himself retains a wonderful sense of reason. Never too up, never too down, just serene, level-headed middle ground. He seems to be at total peace with himself. As men's professional golf in its upper echelons descended into a civil war over the past couple of years with the emergence of the LIV rebellion, it's perhaps no coincidence that the calmest man in the room has prevailed and prospered. In this fractured time, when egos, greed and entitlement have grabbed much of the attention, the grounded Scheffler is just the right man to be on top of the golfing world. He is largely unaffected by fame and fortune, and all the talk of greatness tends to be greeted with a nonchalant shrug. 'I don't identify myself by winning tournaments, chasing trophies, being famous or whatever it is,' he said. 'There are two Chipotles (a restaurant chain) that I eat at when I'm home. If I was to go to the one near to where I grew up and try to eat nowadays, it would be very difficult for me. 'But there's another one in a different part of town and if I go there, nobody recognises me ever.' In the post-Tiger age, Scheffler's relative anonymity can highlight golf's place in the wider scheme of global sports. With the exception of Woods and McIlroy, golf's stars can't really hold a candle to the shining lights in other pursuits Have a meander into the remote jungles of Sarawak and you'll probably stumble upon a village elder wearing a Lionel Messi football shirt, a Ronaldo top or a Steph Curry basketball vest. I'm being slightly outlandish here, but you get the idea. These sportsmen, and these sports, have a reach across cultures and continents. Scheffler, on the other hand, could walk down just about any high street, or into a Chipotle diner, and most folk wouldn't bat an eyelid. That's not Scheffler's fault, of course. In these hark-at-me-times, he'd probably have a higher profile if he were prone to headline-grabbing comments or lively antics on or off the course. But that ain't Scheffler. And that's absolutely fine. His talent and achievements alone should be enough to attract acclaim. Many, though, still view his persona as more day at the office than box office. Undervalued? Perhaps. But unrivalled? There's no doubt. The magnificent Scheffler will continue to do his dominance his way.


New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Ryder Cup 2025 roster projection: Who will make the U.S., Europe teams?
With major championship season now in the rearview mirror, all road signs now directly point to the last week in September and the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York. That also means the opportunities to make a case for yourself are dwindling, though history suggests someone will get very hot in August and force themselves into the Ryder Cup discussion in a way no one saw coming. That type of 11th-hour push is not always successful, though, with many captains instead taking a longer view and trusting the bigger body of work. Advertisement That's why our latest Ryder Cup roster projections will feel much more set in stone than other iterations over the last three months have. For Brody Miller, who took on the role of U.S. captain Keegan Bradley, and Hugh Kellenberger, acting as Team Europe boss Luke Donald, the job is now about poring over the final one or two spots and filling in any gaps the team may have. The broader picture of the U.S. Ryder Cup team appears dramatically more stable than it did just three months ago, when projections were reaching for anyone in even partially good form or any big name with cup experience. Suddenly, the problems for Bradley are about leaving off players you'd love to have in their current form, or Bradley himself playing so well that it's less about whether he deserves to be on the team than it is about whether he should stay in the captaincy role. He'll have to decide if he's comfortable leaving off all-time cup greats versus brushing off golfers currently winning tournaments and competing for majors. Really, really deserving golfers will be left off this team, no matter what Bradley decides. But with a month until teams get finalized, let's predict what Bradley will do. Scottie Scheffler: Moving on. Xander Schauffele: His past two months have consistently had him living in the top 10 and 20 of leaderboards again as he's gaining two strokes on the field. He'll be just fine. J.J. Spaun: This is not purely somebody on a team because he won the U.S. Open. He's been runner-up at the Players and the Cognizant this year. He's No. 20 in the world on DataGolf, playing solid golf all year. Even if he might ultimately only be the 12th-best player on the U.S. team, you're very happy to have him. Russell Henley: I felt confident Henley would be on this team 10 months ago, as he thrived at the Presidents Cup and positioned himself as the perfect Scheffler pairing. Now, it's so much more. Henley won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and has finished top 10 at four of his last six majors. He can be both a good four-ball partner, as the steady rock finding fairways while his partner gets aggressive, and he's a great alternate shot teammate who is world-class with his irons and won't ever put his partner in bad position off the tee. Plus, he's a fantastic putter. It's no longer just a nice story. He's simply one of the best players in the world. Advertisement Bryson DeChambeau: No conversation needed. A top-four player in the world and the longest hitter by far. Bethpage go boom. Harris English: When English won at Torrey Pines, he still wasn't anywhere near this list. Nor was he after a T12 Augusta. Or even really when he finished runner-up at the PGA Championship. Credit where it's due. English is fully back. Now at 35, three years removed from back surgery that stunted his career, the 2021 Ryder Cup winning player is simply killing it. Two major runner-ups and three top 20s. And the U.S. will take all the good putting it can get. Even if he gets surpassed for automatic qualifying, he'll be on the team. Justin Thomas: Hey, maybe his one year left off a cup team served its purpose! Despite an extremely disappointing season at majors, Thomas is back to being the No. 8 player on DataGolf, the fifth-highest ranking on the team. All that with the memories of his 7-4-2 Ryder Cup record lingering. There's no doubt this time. Collin Morikawa: You are more than welcome to worry about his play the last three months. It's been a steep dropoff. But Morikawa is still one of the five best iron players on Earth and a guy with four Ryder Cup match wins and a 4-1 record last year at the Presidents Cup. Don't be silly. Keegan Bradley: This is not the big captaincy debate. You can read that here. For now, I'm just projecting what I think will happen, and this is no longer a situation where Bradley is on the bubble for the final spot. I'd argue he's been the sixth- or seventh-best U.S. player in 2025. He won with incredible clutch play at the Travelers in June. He hasn't finished worse than 41st at any tournament since April. And you cannot deny the passion he brings and the way crowds respond to him. The only reason to leave Bradley off is purely because you believe his captaincy is that important. If that's how you feel, it is completely understandable. But if you are picking the 12 best, it's not even a debate. Advertisement Ben Griffin: The missed cut at the Open is a disappointment, and if he has a terrible August, this can be revisited. But Griffin's play has not merely been a nice heater over the summer (although what a heater it was). He's been in contention in tournaments every single month of the season, going back to January. And again, sometimes the vibe test adds something. Griffin at Bethpage? Immaculate vibes. Patrick Cantlay: What are we doing here? Suddenly, there's a strong conversation that Cantlay shouldn't be a lock. People, he's a lock. After decades of hearing Americans bemoan the Europeans having all these form-agnostic killers like Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood who win no matter what, now the U.S. has the best cup player of the 2020s and is nitpicking him? My goodness. Also, he's not even having a bad year! A poor major run, absolutely. But if we're going off overall statistical golf, he's been the ninth-best American. He's played in 10 signature events this year and been top 20 in eight of them! If anything, last year was the real down year for Cantlay, and he still was the absolute star of the Presidents Cup. Stop this madness. Sam Burns: Woof, this was hard. He's played overall better golf this year than Jordan Spieth, Maverick McNealy, Andrew Novak or Chris Gotterup. From the RBC Heritage through the Travelers, he essentially earned two strokes on the field every week he went out. He's been here before, and he'll be perhaps the best putter in the entire competition. I've said in every projection this year that if Spieth plays perfectly solid golf — which he has — then you have to have him on the team. But at the end of the day, too many golfers like Spaun, English and Griffin went out and earned spots. Final thoughts • Chris Gotterup making the team would be awesome, and his absurd length off the tee makes him a perfect fit. It's very encouraging to see the 25-year-old bomber do so well on the biggest stages, like his third-place finish this week at the Open. But it's just a little too in-the-moment for me. If he tears it up this August? Absolutely. He should be considered. I just don't want to make a rash decision. • Deep down, the best thing that could happen is Maverick McNealy or Spieth winning a tournament in the next month. McNealy has played such impressive golf all season long. He is more than deserving of playing in a Ryder Cup. He just hasn't been better than the 12 golfers picked. But I'd love nothing more than for McNealy to win in Memphis or the BMW and grab a spot. The same goes for Spieth. Advertisement • Don't rule out Andrew Novak. Captain Bradley went out of his way recently on the 5 Clubs podcast to toss Novak's name in, saying, 'Guys like Andrew Novak have shown throughout the year what a tough competitor he is. I love his mindset and his attitude.' It wouldn't be a bad pick at all. The only thing holding me back is him slowing down a bunch since his April-May heater. When Europe decided to run it back for 2025, enlisting Luke Donald again as captain and watching as he reassembled his vice-captain team, it all felt very intentional. To be the first road team to win a Ryder Cup since 2012, keep as much as you can with what worked and build off of that. It's a dramatic contract from the U.S. squad, facing their latest existential crisis about leadership and passion. So if you're going to bring back Donald and four of his vice-captains, including analytics wizard Dodo Molinari, why not also bring back the players? So that's what I'm doing here — between the six automatic qualifiers and my captain's picks, 11 of the 12 European teammates in 2023 are returning. All 11 brought home at least one full point in Rome, the result of their talent but also of a cohesive approach where veteran Justin Rose was willing to be paired with nervous rookie Robert MacIntyre in fourball and sit the foursomes sessions. MacIntyre's career has taken off since then, and he currently sits second in the European points rankings. Rory McIlroy, of course, is on top, and already automatically qualified, though there's little doubt he waited until that news to book his tickets to New York. Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry are Nos. 3-5, and will again be foundational elements of the lineup. Hatton and Fleetwood each played four matches in Rome, and Lowry is a ready-made partner for our sixth automatic pick, Sepp Straka. Of all of these men, Straka has the most nervous road to Bethpage. He missed the first three majors cuts of the year and finished T52 at the Open, and will need some positive results in the PGA Tour's playoffs to not need a captain's pick. Jon Rahm has not done well enough outside of LIV to qualify on points but c'mon, how can you not bring the Spaniard? His good is still better than most's best, and he hits it a mile off the tee. You need that at this course. This is where the questions begin, and you have to have at least some doubt about what you're getting from them during Ryder Cup week. Advertisement Viktor Hovland is going to be on the team, which is not something I would have guaranteed at different points over the last two years. The Norwegian has figured out his game enough to earn the spot, though the boom-or-bust nature of his game the last four months has me worried. Could he win 3 1/2 points again? Sure. Could he be a disappointment and struggle? Also yes. Ludvig Åberg's PGA Tour season has been a definite sophomore slump, with a regression off the tee and around the greens causing him to be a middle-of-the-pack player. Among just Europeans, he's 12th in strokes gained overall the last three months, behind several players not on this team. So why take him? One, he's Ludvig Åberg and the long-term view is still him as one of the most exciting young players in golf. But the unique format of the Ryder Cup would allow an enterprising captain to use Åberg in foursomes, setting him up for his still-strong iron play to be a weapon on approaches and the par-3s. Rose will be 45 by the end of September and he needs to be a role player at Bethpage. After his playoff loss at the Masters, he regressed badly for several months, until a sixth-place finish at the Scottish Open and T16 at the Open Championship. He's a good player, but would it be entirely shocking if he has an off week? Not at all. The last veteran to make the team is Matt Fitzpatrick. His performance at Royal Portrush, playing in the last group on Saturday and finishing in the top five, was a very loud announcement that the Englishman is back. Over the previous three months, he has been sixth in the world in strokes gained, and it's not weighted toward one particular category. Overall, he's been very efficient. All four of these players have earned their spots, and you'll take the risk because of the potential. If two or three (or four) all struggle and you lose the cup, that'll be unfortunate, but you can live with it because you still gave yourself the best chance to win. That leaves just one spot and a handful of contenders. Nicolai Højgaard is powerful off the tee and trending in a positive direction. Thomas Detry won in Phoenix earlier this year against a good field. If you're looking strictly at current form, then Harry Hall and Aaron Rai must be on the long list. Advertisement There's also Sergio Garcia. He's a Ryder Cup legend, no doubt. He caught fire for a month, winning LIV Hong Kong and backing it up with two top fives. But nothing in the last three months has approached that level of play, making him an unnecessary reach and potential liability. No, I'm going with Rasmus Højgaard. While he'll be the lone Ryder Cup rookie on this team, he was a part of things in Rome. When twin brother Nicolai made it, Donald invited Rasmus to come and have a role, to be around the team room as much as he desired. It's an example of an approach to leadership that builds buy-in and continuity, taking what could be an awkward situation and making it as comfortable as possible. Two years later, Rasmus is the brother who's seventh in the Ryder Cup points standings, with enough positive results that he cannot be ignored. Do we expect him to be a killer? No. But he'll do his job, and another true driver of the golf ball is the final piece that Europe needs. (Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photos: David Cannon, Richard Heathcote / Getty Images; Zac Goodwin / PA Images via Getty Images; Stuart Franklin / R&A via Getty Images)