It’s unusual for the Wednesday Par 3 contest at the Masters to draw so much attention. But the presence of various celebrities at Augusta National and the ESPN coverage has led to a deluge of criticism from golf fans, even former SportsCenter anchor Trey Wingo.
Wingo left ESPN in 2020 after years as an anchor and host on SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, and the network’s NFL coverage. But in recent years he has become an outspoken critic of the network at times.
And when it comes to ESPN’s Masters coverage, Wingo was one of the most prominent voices to come out against the network trying to add more sizzle to the one event that doesn’t need it. With Jason Kelce and Kevin Hart showing up to the Par 3 contest, viewers rejected the attempts to mess with the tradition and sanctity of the tournament.
.@TheMasters has always been defined by one thing above everything else: tradition.
ESPN is missing the point.
Full video: https://t.co/pGeUhf3W0d pic.twitter.com/63ar57KNMh
— trey wingo (@wingoz) April 10, 2026
“You can’t cut off your base to find somebody else, know who you’re talking to,” Wingo said. Know who you’re sending this out for, know who’s going to be watching it. When you turn on the people that matter the most about the thing that you’re putting out there, you have lost the proposition. And I want to be clear. I want ESPN to be incredibly successful. I want them to continue to have the Masters for as long as they want it, because when it’s left to their own devices and the people that do golf, they’re great. It’s all the other crap, for lack of a better term, that’s being shoved down golf viewers’ throats that is turning people away.”
Everyone is trying to make their events more accessible to casual fan to make their tents larger. It’s why Major League Baseball and Netflix had Bert Kreischer on Opening Night coverage. And that went over about as well as Jason Kelce showing up at the Par 3 contest. But Wingo’s point is that if you go too far in the direction of marketing to casuals, then you will lose your core audience. It’s common across sports. But the biggest shock this week is that THE MASTERS appears to be following in the same direction. We even had an appearance from WWE superstar The Miz on ESPN’s shoulder programming on Thursday.
This nation is imploding pic.twitter.com/N1kkuErk2h
— Joel Beall (@JoelMBeall) April 9, 2026
“Why are you trying to gain tangentially some fringe viewers while at the same time you are taking your core viewers and pissing them off? And oh by the way, it’s not just users on Twitter. It’s not just the Hollywood Reporter. You can be in danger of losing the thing that you hold most dear, the rights to this tournament. Let the Masters speak for itself,” Wingo added.
“It doesn’t need all this hyperbolic nonsense. It’s the frickin’ Masters! That’s why for years ESPN did everything they could to get the rights. Because they knew it was the most important tournament in golf to have on your network. The Masters doesn’t need the sideshow, it doesn’t need the carnival, it needs to show up on our television and let us watch this great ritual of spring, year in and year out, without the crap.”
This is a tournament that has more control over their broadcasts than maybe any event on television. They have banned broadcasters for life for saying things they didn’t like. They kicked out former major champion Mark Calcavecchia for using a cell phone on property this week. They make all the rules.
All that’s to say, if the Masters and Augusta National didn’t want Jason Kelce and Kevin Hart at the Par 3 contest, they would not be there. And after the criticism this week, it would be a shock to see a repeat next year, especially considering chairman Fred Ridley admitted mistakes have been made in the past, like letting Dude Perfect play frisbee around Amen Corner.
ESPN does not do anything at the Masters that does not come without Augusta National’s approval and blessing, so it’s impossible to place the blame squarely on the network in this situation. It’s not just because of the Masters’ current control over their television product, but also because if a network goes against Augusta’s wishes, they can take it anywhere else they please.
