The Masters: Bubba Watson’s nine-year-old daughter Dakota steals the show at Par 3 contest

Plenty of young golfers have sent crowds into a frenzy at Augusta National across the 88 years of The Masters, but perhaps none quite as young as Dakota Watson.

Plenty of young golfers have sent crowds into a frenzy at Augusta National across the 88 years of The Masters, but perhaps none quite as young as Dakota Watson. Bubba Watson’s nine-year-old daughter delivered a putting masterclass during the par three contest on the eve of the major on Wednesday, showcasing the sort of golden touch around the greens that helped her father clinch two green jackets. The fabled venue becomes a family affair for the traditional nine-hole competition, as wives, partners, children and grandchildren – all kitted out in the famous white jumpsuits worn by tournament caddies – take up the bag for golfers. Rickie Fowler, accompanied by wife Allison Stokke and three-year-old daughter Maya, clinched a two-shot victory to triumph for the first time, but the win was arguably upstaged by the young Watson, who rolled in three remarkable long-range putts in a row to thrill hundreds of spectators. Two beautifully-weighted downhill nudges came either side of a truly sensational winding effort that even her 12-time PGA Tour winning father – standing proudly behind recording on his phone – would have been thrilled to make. From the step back to watch it roll home to the hands-raised celebration as the crowd erupted around her, the nine-year-old looked like a seasoned professional, prompting comparisons to one of the game’s all-time great putters, two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw.