Streelman’s Par 3 Win Makes A “Wish” Come True

Talk about karma or about the Golf Gods or about paying it forward! Today at The Masters Par 3 Contest there was a bit of all of that.

The fans and history will remember that The Golden Bear came out of hibernation and had an ace while playing with Gary Player and Ben Crenshaw.

They’ll remember that this was the year that Tiger Woods decided he was more a father than a golfer, at least for a day and had his two “littles” as he call them on the bag for the par 3 which he hadn’t played in for more than a decade.

But one young man and his family will never, ever forget their day roaming the Par 3 course at Augusta.

Thirteen year old Ethan Couch was on the bag for the eventual winner Kevin Streelman. Now, Ethan isn’t Streelman’s son or nephew and until this week he had never met him. But the two will be fast friends for life.

Ethan was the recipient of a wish granted by the Make A Wish Foundation and Streelman was the man who came through.

Ethan has an inoperable brain tumor and when Streelman called the Make A Wish Foundation to see if any child wanted to go to The Masters he was given Ethan’s name.

Ethan had his wish to go to The Masters and Streelman had his man. But more than a mere trip to Augusta he had the young golf fan tote his bag around the Par 3 Contest.

And then the two of them go to a playoff and end up winning the thing.

2 winners, Streelman & Couch

Now, don’t tell me that there isn’t karma in this life. Don’t tell me that the Golf Gods don’t affect our games. Don’t tell me that what goes around doesn’t come around. And don’t tell me there isn’t a force more powerful than us.

Something, maybe all of those things were at work at Augusta today.

Streelman makes a call to a kid who has been dealt a difficult hand and the two of them have a day that they’ll remember forever.

History tell us that the Par 3 winner never wins The Masters. Not this year, Kevin Streelman is a champion today.

Ethan Couch saw to that.

Click here for Ethan’s story, brought to light by ESPN’s Jason Sobel.