Toms and Harrington must now try to break the Par Three curse

Both Harrington and Toms finished with six-under-par totals of 21, missing the event record of 20 set by Art Wall in 1965 and again by Gay Brewer in 1973.

A storm halted play with seven groups still out on the course.

It is the first time that joint winners have been declared.

Len Mattiace, 1998 Masters champion Mark O'Meara, and John Cook tied for third at four under.

Justin Rose and Colin Montgomerie and John Huston finished on three-under-par and tied for sixth.

The tournament is played over a nine-hole, par-27 course that stretches 1,060 yards over the DeSoto Springs and the Ike Pond, which is named after former Augusta member and US President Dwight Eisenhower.

First played in 1960, the Wednesday showpiece has become a popular part of Masters week.

But since its inception, no winner of the Par Three Contest has gone on to win the main event in the same year.

And of the 12 previous Masters winners who have won the Par Three Contest, only one, Ben Crenshaw, went on to win the Masters again.

Ireland's Harrington, the top-ranked European in world golf, and US star Toms, the 2001 PGA champion, must now attempt to break the Par Three curse.