The par 3 contest at The Masters is supposed to be a bit of fun.
It’s a chance for champions of yesteryear to mix it with the young guys, for families to get involved (the image of toddlers lugging a golf bag over their shoulders will never not be adorable) and for the galleries to have a bit of a laugh before the serious competition begins on Thursday morning.
It’s a fun-filled curtain-raiser that is unique to The Masters. Everyone has fun. Tony Finau was having plenty of fun. The charismatic 28-year-old, who is making his Augusta debut this year, had just scored a hole-in-one at the 7th. Celebrating enthusiastically, Finau went over badly on his ankle.
The mood turned all of a sudden. Although Finau was doing his best to brush it off, it looked extremely painful. His Masters debut looked to be in serious doubt. Was this going to be another freak accident, like Dustin Johnson slipping down the stairs and being ruled out of last year’s tournament?
In case you missed it, let’s revisit.
Good grief, Tony Finau wrecked his ankle celebrating a hole in one pic.twitter.com/8o7JxVi3xQ
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 4, 2018
Finau was never going to let his Masters dream be taken away that easily, but there were legitimate concerns that his injury would force him to withdraw.
However, a positive update arrived on Thursday via ESPN’s Marty Smith, who confirmed the American had been cleared to play.
Great news for @TonyFinauGolf: Finau had an MRI this morning, which cleared him to play @TheMasters, Finau’s manager told me.
Finau’s plan is to play.— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) April 5, 2018
A bit more on Finau:
His mgr tells me Finau's injury is effectively a high-ankle sprain. The MRI revealed no further structural damage would be done by playing, so Finau will undergo treatment all morning prior to 12:43p tee time.
It's truly about Finau's pain tolerance.— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) April 5, 2018
It seems lady luck is on Finau’s side, in contrast to Johnson last year.
Crazy day. Thanks for thoughts of concern, messages and prayers from all. I'm optimistic. https://t.co/m9y5T1a9Uy
— Tony Finau Golf (@tonyfinaugolf) April 5, 2018
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