Michael Madrid-Imagn Images
Golfers who compete at The Masters won’t officially take home any money until the major wraps up on Sunday. However, it sounds like Justin Thomas managed to line his pockets early at the expense of Jordan Spieth and Max Homa after making a hole-in-one at the annual Par-3 Contest.
Players who are invited to compete at The Masters get three days to gear up before officially taking on Augusta National. Monday and Tuesday are primarily devoted to the practice rounds where they’re able to get a feel for the course, but a solid chunk of play on Wednesday is devoted to the annual Par-3 Contest.
That yearly showdown was first held in 1960 and unfolds on a nine-hole course located on the property, and it’s a fairly lighthearted affair where players usually tap family members to caddie for them while getting the opportunity to play a pretty care-free round of golf before the major gets underway.
You could argue the Par-3 Contest is slightly cursed: no one who’s emerged victorious has gone on to win The Masters four days later (although there are a dozen champions who earned a green jacket at some other point).
It’s also pretty low stakes when you consider there’s no money up for grabs, as the winner is presented with a crystal bowl commemorating their achievement. However, there tends to be some side wagers between players, including the one that Justin Thomas made with his playing partners before cashing in this year.
Justin Thomas hinted he made $2,000 courtesy of Max Homa and Jordan Spieth with his hole-in-one at the Par-3 Contest at The Masters
There had been 115 holes-in-one recorded at the Par-3 Contest heading into 2026, which averages out to around 1.75 aces each year (the 2016 affair was responsible for the highest total of all time with nine).
It didn’t take long for that number to rise by one after things kicked off at noon on Wednesday, as Justin Thomas put some backspin on his tee shot on Hole No. 2 before it hopped past the cup and skidded back in for the hole-in-one.
Thomas was paired up with Homa and Spieth, and he immediately turned to them while rubbing his fingers together. All signs pointed to the trio agreeing to an ace-related bet before their round got underway, and Thomas all but confirmed he was getting $1,000 from each of them while chatting with Scott Van Pelt.
“I probably enjoyed that shot a lot more than Max and Jordan did. Maybe about 1,000x as much.” 😂
The first hole-in-one of this year’s Masters Par 3 Contest belongs to Justin Thomas and sounds like he’s bringing something else home as well 👀 pic.twitter.com/1gsqd8Im2y
— ESPN (@espn) April 8, 2026
That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the money that’s up for grabs at The Masters (Rory McIlroy took home $4.2 million for winning last year, and pros who missed the cut still received $25,000 for their troubles), but it’s certainly better than simply having bragging rights.
It might also end up being a wash if he has to buy drinks at the clubhouse later on, but I have a feeling he’ll be able to afford it.
As of this writing, Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley had also gotten in on the ace action, and the latter became the first person to record one in the contest in back-to-back years as a result.