Former Clemson golfer Kyle Stanley hopes to improve on first trip to Augusta National

Kyle Stanley wasn’t the “Comeback Kid” when he first played Augusta National Golf Club.

As an underclassman at Clemson, he played the course with golf coach Larry Penley and his teammates. Stanley shot 78.

“I’ll take better this time around,” he said. “That’s one of my favorite golf courses. It’ll be nice to be there for the tournament.”

The Gig Harbor, Wash., native qualified for his first Masters Tournament with one of the most impressive bounce-backs in PGA Tour history. One week after blowing a three-shot lead on the final hole of the Farmers Insurance Open, Stanley recovered to win the Phoenix Open.

A second-year tour pro, the 24-year-old Stanley said he grew up watching the Masters, with 1997 one of the most memorable. When he arrived at Clemson, where he became a two-time first-team All-American, Stanley said the Masters became must-see TV.

“Even in college, I always watched the back nine on Sunday,” he said. “There’s nothing really like it.”

The same could be said about Stanley’s comeback after blowing what would have been his first PGA Tour win in January in San Diego. He entered the final round with a five-shot cushion, but eventually lost to Brandt Snedeker in a playoff. The following week, Stanley rallied from an eight-shot deficit in the final round of the Phoenix Open to beat Ben Crane by a shot. Stanley was dubbed the “Comeback Kid” after the sensational victory.

“I didn’t want something like that to define my career or define me as a person, which could’ve been very easy to do,” Stanley said. “When you have a collapse like that, you can easily associate yourself with that, and I didn’t want to do that. It was just nice to bounce back.”

The victory ensured Stanley another trip to Augusta National. In March, he played a few rounds there to preparefor the Masters.

“It’s going to be great,” Stanley said. “I’m not sure quite what to expect. You can’t necessarily put one tournament up on a pedestal. At the end of the day, it’s 72 holes of golf. And I think it’s a golf course that sets up pretty good for me.”

With his former college about 100 miles away from Augusta, Stanley expects to see some patrons sporting Clemson orange this week.

“I’m sure there will be quite a few,” he said. “So it’ll be fun.”