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 In the 54 years the event has been staged since Sam Snead won the
inaugural competition in 1960, no Par-3 winner has gone on to
emerge victorious at the Masters in the same year.
Raymond Floyd came within an eyelash of ending the jinx in 1990 but
lost to Nick Faldo in a playoff.
"I'm not afraid of it," Moore told reporters after posting a
6-under score of 21 to lift the crystal trophy on a sun-drenched
day at Augusta National. "Someone has got to break that curse at
some point in time, so hopefully it's me.
"Who knows? I might go and shoot 8-under or something, make a
couple of holes-in-one."
World No. 33 Moore almost had an ace at the fourth hole on
Wednesday when his tee shot finished 6 inches from the cup.
"I had some nice tap-ins and close ones. I missed a couple of
6-footers too," said the 31-year-old.
Moore is a triple winner on the PGA Tour and is about to make his
sixth appearance in the Masters. His best result came in 2005 when
he finished tied 13th and was the low amateur.
The fun-filled 9-hole event, where players are allowed to use
friends and family as caddies, is a real hit with the spectators.
The loudest roars were reserved for veterans Arnold Palmer, Jack
Nicklaus and Gary Player, who played in the same 3-ball,
although there were holes-in-one for Mark O'Meara, Matt Jones and
Stewart Alexander.
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World No. 9 Rory McIlroy, the 12-1 joint favorite for the
Masters along with defending champion Adam Scott, also entered into
the spirit of the occasion.
The Northern Irishman allowed fiancee Caroline Wozniacki to take one
of his putts, and the Danish tennis player, sporting tinted deep pink
locks, broke into a wide grin when she holed out from 25 feet.
(Editing by Gene Cherry)
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