Oosthuizen becomes latest Par 3 Contest winner to face Masters jinx

On Wednesday, Louis Oosthuizen became the third straight player from South Africa to win the Par 3 Contest. Now he'll try to become the first player to go on and capture the Masters, too.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) -- Louis Oosthuizen figures any trophy at the Masters is better than none.

And he's sticking to that story.

Oosthuizen became the third straight South African to win the Par 3 Contest at the Masters on Wednesday, finishing at 6 under. It's somewhat of a dubious distinction, however, considering no winner of the Par 3 has ever gone on to capture the green jacket.

"There's always a first time to break the curse," said Oosthuizen, who has three top-5 finishes on the European Tour this season, including a win at the Andalucia Open. "Everyone is aware of it, but to have your name on anything at the Masters I think is great."

Graeme McDowell, who was an early leader at 2 under, joked that he'd never rooted for someone to pass him on the leaderboard before. When Oosthuizen pulled into a tie at 4 under, Ernie Els suggested he put a ball in the water.

"Then I made another long (putt) and he said you might as well go for it," said Oosthuizen, who finished two strokes ahead of Matteo Manassero, David Duval, Jerry Pate and K.J. Choi.

"It was just a fun thing," Oosthuizen said. "We were so relaxed out there."

Indeed, the mood at the Par 3 Contest is far more lighthearted than it will be Thursday, when the players tee it up for real. Some players have their kids caddie for them, and the Big Three -- Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player -- reunited, much to the fans' delight.

McDowell and Jim Furyk had the only aces in the contest, both coming on the ninth hole.

"There's so much luck involved," said McDowell, who used a 52-degree wedge. "I was just trying to make sure I got it past the flag to have a chance on the way back."