At 91, Jack Fleck still gets around a golf course

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Iowa's two most-renowned golfers of all-time were one threesome apart Wednesday afternoon.

Jack Fleck and Zach Johnson, the lone Iowans to win major championships, both participated in the Masters' Par 3 Contest at Augusta National. Johnson, a past Masters champion, is in the event every year. Fleck's participation is far more noteworthy.

You see, he's 91.

Fleck, who was born and raised in Bettendorf,  played in the Masters every year from 1956 to 1965. But he hadn't been on the Augusta National grounds for 45 years until he returned two years ago to play in the Par 3 Contest on the picturesque little course behind Butler and Eisenhower cabins.

Though he walked very slowly, he got around the entire 1,060-yard track under his own power. His shots were often errant, but his tee shot on the 135-yard final hole successfully cleared Ike's Pond. He followed with a quality two-putt for a par, earning and a big ovation from the crowd.

Fleck's threesome was one group ahead of Johnson's. Johnson won the 2007 Masters. Fleck won the 1955 U.S. Open with an 18-hole playoff win over Ben Hogan.

"I'll never quit," Fleck said two years ago.

In 2010, Fleck had some advice for Tiger Woods. But

Woods' people didn't help facilitate a meeting.