For the first time ever the Par-3 contest which is played the day before the Masters Tournament will be televised on ESPN at noon today. This report also confirms the Masters Tournament starts tomorrow. Here’s a little article from the San Francisco Chronicle about the rich history of the Par-3 Contest.

Tiger Woods will not be participating in the event today saying it “distracts from his preparation for the tournament.”

It should be noted that no Par-3 Contest winner has won The Masters in the same year.
Here’s a list of previous winners from the last eight years:

2007 – Mark O’Meara
2006 – Ben Crane
2005 – Jerry Pate
2004 – Padraig Harrington
2003 – Padraig Harrington, David Toms (tie)
2002 – Nick Price
2001 – David Toms
2000 – Chris Perry