Cutest Par 3 Contest moment? It might be Rory McIlroy's daughter slow-rolling in a putt

USA Today

09-04-2025

Cutest Par 3 Contest moment? It might be Rory McIlroy's daughter slow-rolling in a putt
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Rory McIlroy explains why Augusta is his forever course
Rory McIlroy opens up on why Augusta is his forever course, from childhood memories to pure beauty.
The Masters
The Masters Tournament is one of the more stressful events on the golf calendar each season.
But for one day leading into the marquee major tournament, 91 members of the 95-player field can relax and create everlasting memories with their families with the Par 3 Contest at Augusta National Golf Club.
That is most definitely the case for Rory McIlroy and his daughter, Poppy McIlroy, who had a special moment on the ninth hole during the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday. The daughter of the four-major champion converted a lengthy putt — thanks to some last minute downhill speed.
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As the putt went into the hole at Augusta National, Poppy was welcomed with a round of applause from the patrons near the hole, which included "Uncle" Shane Lowrey and Rory McIlroy both dropping their clubs and putting their hands up in the air in a touchdown celebration.
All told, a moment that the McIlroy family will not forget from one of the most sacred golf courses in the sport.
"I think every Masters week for me seems to get bigger and bigger each and every year and I think to do something like this, for me at least, allows me to forget about all that for a couple of hours on a Wednesday afternoon," Rory McIlroy told ESPN's Marty Smith earlier during the network's coverage on Wednesday. "It's just a really nice way and a relaxed way to go into business end of the week.
"As time has gone along and Poppy has gotten a little bit bigger, I look forward to this day more and more each and every year. Just to see the excitement on her face this morning knowing it was going to be Par 3 (is great). It is such a fun afternoon."
McIlroy enters the 2025 Masters Tournament playing some of his best golf of late, as he has already won both The PLAYERS Championship and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this season. A win at the 2025 Masters Tournament would end an 11-year major drought and make McIlroy just the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam, and the first since Tigers Woods did so.
The four-time major champion is set to tee off in the first round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at 1:12 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 10 alongside Ludvig Aberg and Akshay Bhatia.