Four former UGA golfers ready to take on Masters tournament this week

At one point Tuesday afternoon, three former Georgia golfers simultaneously played at Augusta National Golf Club, the home of The Masters.

Brian Harman teed off on hole 11 while Bubba Watson played one hole behind him. On the driving range in front of the course, Kevin Kisner swung his clubs before teeing off at hole one. (Russell Henley, a Macon native and graduate of Stratford High School, did not practice on Tuesday after practicing on Monday).

All the while, thousands of fans — far fewer than there will be in the days to come — moseyed around the course watching as golfers practiced in preparation for Thursday’s opening round.

When Harman walked from the 17th green to the tee box on 18, a patron shouted “Go Dawgs,” and Harman smiled.

With The Masters played in Georgia, fans of the Bulldogs always attend the tournament. There are usually some Georgia golfers, too. Four former Georgia golfers are in this year’s 87-man field. That’s actually less than in years past. In 2015, six former Georgia golfers played in The Masters.

Still, the Bulldogs are well represented. Here’s a look at where each of those golfers stand two days from the beginning of the tournament:

Bubba Watson

The most successful of the former Georgia golfers on tour, Watson comes to The Masters this year fresh off a victory at the Genesis Open in mid-February, his first victory on tour in two years. Watson, ranked 19th in the world in this week’s Official World Golf Ranking, has already won The Masters twice, in 2012 and 2014. All attention this week may be on Tiger Woods’ return to Augusta, but Watson has been picked as a sneaky favorite to win his third green jacket.

“I'm hoping everybody gets immediate attention and I just kind of sneak through the back nine roars there and somehow pull out a victory,” Watson said.

Russell Henley

Henley, a Macon native and graduate of Stratford High School, will play in his fifth Masters this week. He has improved his finish every time he has played in the tournament, missing the cut in 2013 but tying for 11th last year. Henley hasn’t played well in the lead-up to The Masters — his best finish this season was 15th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am — but his experience makes him a contender for a top-10 finish.

“I’ve been playing well, had a good year last year and I feel like I know the golf course well,” Henley said.

Kevin Kisner

Kisner will play in his third consecutive Masters this week. Kisner, who helped Georgia win the 2005 NCAA Championship, became the first player in school history to earn All-American honors in golf four times. Kisner has played well the last few years. He won a PGA Tour victory in 2016 and another in 2017. Last year, he finished 12th in the FedExCup standings.

Kisner, ranked 25th in the world this week, has never finished higher than tied for 37th at The Masters.

Brian Harman

No one seems to be paying attention to Harman this week, but he finished second at last year’s U.S. Open and has seven top-10 finishes this year. Harman, a three-time second-team All-American at Georgia, is set to play in his second Masters tournament. He last played here in 2015, when he missed the cut.

“Obviously it’s still a huge venue and it’s an intimidating place, but I’m slightly more up for it this time,” Harman said. “I’ll try to do my best.”

This story was originally published April 3, 2018 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Four former UGA golfers ready to take on Masters tournament this week."