More than free game at stake in Masters of Miniature Golf

Leave the golf bag and shoes in the trunk. Forget the glove, too. You won't need a tee (or a date), either.

The Masters of Miniature Golf -- one of the world's top mini golf events -- requires only a putter, ball and $115 entry fee beginning Thursday in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Players from 10 countries will compete over 15 rounds on three par-36 layouts at Hawaiian Rumble. The purse is $8,000, with the winner receiving $4,000 and a green jacket at Saturday's closing ceremonies.

Defending champion Danny McCaslin of Cary, N.C., goes for his third Masters title. McCaslin, who also won in 2001, torched Hawaiian Rumble with a 57-under-par 447 for 504 holes last year, beating Hans Olofsson of Sweden by five putts.

Among those from a host of divisions eligible to try and dethrone McCaslin: Olivia Prokopova, a 10-year-old ...