The Masters is the most prestigious golf tournament in the world. Playing in the Masters is by invitation only. There are a few ways* to receive that invitation, and while some of those have varied over the years, there are always a few surefire methods. Three of those are 1) Win the Masters and you’re invited back for life**, 2) Win a PGA Tour tournament in the 12 months before the Masters is held, and 3) Rank in the top 50 in the world as the Masters gets underway. As it turns out, there are a few former student-athletes from the Classic City that meet this criteria.
Bubba Watson has won the Green Jacket twice, in 2012 via a playoff, and again in 2014. He’s played 8 times, but missed the cut the last two years. No matter, he has the title, the jacket, and now the legacy.
Kevin Kisner is ranked 36th in the world, and finished in the top 30 last year on the PGA Tour. His game has blossomed the last couple of years and he’s leapt 200+ spots in the world ranking as a result. He has a PGA Tour win, and six top 10 finishes. He missed the cut last year in his first Masters. He’s from and still resides in nearby Aiken, SC.
Hudson Swafford languished as a PGA Tour pro, making a good living but never breaking through. But every year has been better, and after a couple of top 10s in 2016, he started this year with a bang... and a big check from winning a Tour event in January. Turns out he’s playing well, having a top 10 finish this past weekend in Houston.
Russell Henley is literally the last entrant in this year’s Masters field. He was not otherwise eligible, but won this past Sunday at the Shell Houston Open to snatch the last invitation/qualification. It’s so recent that the Masters official website still did not list him as of me typing these words.
Maybe the biggest player story this week will be the absence of Tiger Woods. He of 4 Green Jackets, 10 other major titles, 79 total PGA Tour wins, and having earned over a billion dollars due to winnings, endorsements, and contracts - well, he ain’t playing. A marriage infidelity scandal in 2008, and 3 back surgeries in 2016 have derailed his game and body to the point he cannot compete at this level. He’s actually only played 1 full tournament since September of 2015.
Dustin Johnson comes in having won his last 3 starts (with time off in-between), Rory McIlroy has shown flashes of brilliance and a Masters win would compete his career grand slam, Jordan Spieth has finished 2nd or better at the Masters 3 straight years (his last few outings this year haven’t been great), Justin Thomas and Hideki Mastsuyama have both won multiple times this season and Thomas shot the magical 59 in a round... you get the idea. There are lots of good golfers playing good golf who all have a great chance to win in this limited field.
As far as the four former ‘Dawgs in the field, I like Henley the best. He is a streaky player who had an incredibly hot putter this past week in Houston (making close to 600 feet of putts which is right up near the all-time record). He’s made his last 5 cuts, and all of those are top 50 with 3 top 25s and 2 top 10s. He’s not very long, but the Masters has been won by short hitters before. The key is to be in the right spots to hit the greens, hit the greens in the right spot, and be a great putter on some of the fastest and most undulating greens in the world. Henley can do those things, and he comes in with momentum. Oh, and he’s from Macon. So he’s got that going for him. Which is... like me.
I’m glad to expound on any player, Bulldog or not, in the comments below. We will be back with more Masters coverage this week as DawgSports goes green. Masters green.
*There are 19 different ways to qualify for the Masters. Winning a major, winning certain amateur tournaments, ranking highly in some of the world’s professional tours, and of course recent wins on the PGA Tour.
**Historically, even old codgers and those barely able to walk would still come back to play in the Masters if they were a past champion. They had no chance to make the cut, and a few years back the Masters committee had to somewhat forcefully tell some of these past champions “you’re welcome to come, but leave your clubs in the car.” Now, these guys got the hint so they have gracefully bowed out and instead just enjoy the tournament as a special visitor.