Russell Henley’s roots to Augusta National run almost as deep as the pine trees that frame the fairway.
He describes coming to watch the Masters as a kid:
“I remember reaching down late in the day and touching the grass; being like, whoa, this is amazing,” he said. “Every once in a while, I try to pinch myself and realize that I’m playing in it now.”
He describes the date he played his first round as a freshman at Georgia, May 7, 2008: It was warm. He shot a 73. It was his last day living in McWhorter Hall.
“I just remember just being on cloud nine the whole day,” he said.
And after shooting a 68 in the first round of the Masters on Thursday, he has another cherished memory.
It was his first time carding a 60s in his seventh round in the tournament. He missed the cut in 2013 and finished tied for 31st last year.
Henley is benefiting from taking a looser approach than some of his contemporaries. He didn’t practice 18 holes each day earlier this week. He isn’t travelling with an entourage of coaches to fine-tune his mind, body and game.
“I feel like when I get into that mind set, I become a very average player,” he said. “And when I just show up like I got invited at the last minute, just to have fun, I’m a lot more fun to be around and I play better. So I took it very light, took last week light. I’m going to try to keep doing that till it stops working.”
It’s a realization he arrived at during the West Coast swing last year after posting a first-round 78 at Riviera. After grinding and grinding to make cuts with little to show for it, that night he decided at to become less an automaton and more a human. He shot a 66. He didn’t make the cut, but he had a new approach to being a pro golfer.
A week later, he won The Honda Classic.
“I feel like when I can accept the fact that this game, how I play in this tournament, is not going to define who I am when I drive out of here today, it makes it a lot more fun game,” he said. “It makes me enjoy the game. When I feel like it’s who I am, I don’t like the game at all.”
He didn’t play the week before the Shell Houston Open this year. He either laid on the couch in his home in Charleston, S.C. or rode on his boat. He shot 14-under and finished tied for fourth in Houston.
Henley said that momentum carried through the first round of the Masters on Thursday. His birdies came in bunches, starting at 5, with two more at 8 and 9. After dropping a shot at 11, he posted birdies at 14, with what he described as one of the best putts of his life, and 15.
Known for his excellent short game, which he said he worked on constantly at the windy driving range at Georgia, Henley needed just 28 putts on Thursday, never needing more than two to finish a green.
Henley has a balance between being too loose, which can lead to mistakes, and being aggressive. In his third Masters, he seems ready to go for it.
There may be some more memories.
“I think it’s more fun to go after it,” he said. “For sure, I might three putt a couple times a week, I might four putt, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m definitely going to go after it and try to make the putt every time.”
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