Russell Henley makes waves with hot start

The most prominent Geor­gia Bulldog in the Masters Tour­nament will be the guy bringing back the green jacket, but the new guy from the Athens golf factory is worth keeping an eye on.

Russell Henley, a 23-year-old Macon native, took all of one week as a PGA Tour rookie to book his ticket to Au­gus­ta National Golf Club. It’s a fast track his college coach has been watching Henley ride all along.

“He has a knack for winning,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. He says Henley is “cut from the same cloth” as the athletic and creative reigning Masters champion, Bubba Watson.

“He wants to win, and it’s hard to teach that. That comes from deep down,” Haack said. “I think he’s got a chance to be pretty special.”

Unlike Watson, who struggled to close the deal until four years into his PGA Tour career, Henley has had that winning “it” factor from the beginning. He triumphed at the Georgia high school state championship three times and won a school record eight tournaments at Georgia, including medalist at a Southeastern Conference tournament (2010) and two NCAA regionals (2008 and ’10). He also won a pair of Georgia Amateurs (2008-09) and Palmer Cups (2010-11), was low amateur at the U.S. Open (2010) and participated in the Walker Cup (2011).

Henley became the first amateur to win a Nationwide Tour event at the 2011 Stadion Classic on UGA’s home course.

“Guys that just have a knack for winning just have it,” Haack said.

So it came as no surprise to those who knew him that Henley would close the deal in his first PGA Tour event as a full-time member, finishing with five consecutive birdies in the Sony Open in Hawaii to hold off charging veteran Tim Clark and win with a record 24-under score.

“It’s a performance that makes you think this guy might be the next really, really top player,” NBC analyst Johnny Miller said.

Henley said at the time he was “speechless,” but achieving his lifelong dream of qualifying for the Masters was at the forefront of his thoughts. He attended the Mas­ters many years as a kid with friends from Macon and played the course four times with his Georgia teammates.

“I remember seeing these rolling hills of green and seeing the guys hit the shots and just being so amazed at the whole experience, the smell, the environment of it,” he said. “And being so close to home, it was just the biggest deal for me just to get to go. That’s why I think it was really hard for me to block that out because I probably think about the Masters a few times a day.

“It’s been a dream. I’ve always wanted to make it to the PGA Tour. I wanted to make it to the Masters. And that’s kind of been my ultimate goal is somehow making it to the Masters one day.”

Henley was so excited about qualifying that he was the first pro to take advantage of a scouting trip to Augusta long before the course started ramping up into tournament shape.

“It was great,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to play the same when the tournament comes around. It’s really cool to get in the clubhouse and meet the pros. It’s a cool place.”

His enthusiasm for getting to play in the Masters might be his biggest obstacle.

“You’ve got to look at it as another golf tournament,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll play a lot of Masters and look back on the first one as a lot of fun. I’m sure it’s going to be hard to relax the nerves. That’s going to be the biggest challenge, I think.”

Henley obviously has what it takes to compete. As an amateur, he qualified and played in two U.S. Opens, making the cut both times. With his decisive and effective putting stroke, he is a factor in the toughest environs.

“I like to be mentally tough out there,” he said. “A major championship golf course like Augusta is very difficult. I feel like I have an edge over some people mentally when it gets difficult. Obviously, we’re playing on the PGA Tour with all the best players in the world, so everybody is very tough out here. But I enjoy the challenge.”

Haack said Henley has even more of the tools to be successful than Watson had when he left Georgia a decade earlier.

Henley “thinks a little better and will accept his limitations a little quicker,” Haack said.

Is winning a green jacket as a rookie beyond his limits?

“I’ve already won one time this year,” Henley said. “I know I’m capable of it.”