How an eagle putt kept Russell Henley's tournament alive at the Masters

As Russell Henley squatted on the fringe of the green at Augusta National’s 15th hole on Friday afternoon, he stared down an 82-foot putt and the end of his time at this year’s Masters.

The hole they named Firethorn stretches 530 yards from tee to cup. During Thursday’s opening round, defending Masters champion Sergio Garcia shot a 13 on the par-5 — the worst score at the hole in Masters history. This is where Henley stood.

Before that, however, Henley’s putter had cursed him for 14 holes of golf. He missed birdie putts on six different holes during the round, and when Henley left the front nine, he was 1-over par, four shots behind the leaders.

As Henley walked from the ninth green to the tee box at No. 10, past the clubhouse and the 18th green, his brother-in-law and best friend, Hampton Vernon, told him Henley’s son had been released from the hospital.

Henley’s son, Robert Russell Henley, was born Tuesday morning and had spent the first three days of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit at a Charleston, South Carolina, hospital. Henley said there had been swelling in the back of the baby’s head because of the delivery.

“At first they said he was OK,” Henley said, “but the swelling got worse and worse and worse.”

Henley, who drove to Charleston Monday night and did not return to Augusta until Thursday morning, planned to withdraw from the Masters until Wednesday evening, when doctors told him the baby was healthy enough for Henley to feel comfortable playing. Finally, doctors released the baby from the NICU on Friday. The swelling had dissipated.

“I'm just happy there's no more issues,” Henley said. “It's amazing when your son is struggling, the emotion that you experience. This is my first kid, and it's a different feeling than a friend.

“He's good now. That's the most important thing, right?”

Minutes after he received the news about his son, a double bogey on No. 10 threatened to end Henley’s tournament. His second shot had landed short of the green and rolled down a hill. Henley’s next chip landed short, too. The ball trickled back down the hill. It stopped where Henley already stood. His mother, Sally Henley, sighed.

“He gone,” a patron said as Henley’s shot for bogey rolled past the cup.

After Henley missed a birdie putt on the 13th hole, his father, Chapin Henley, said, “He’s known for his putting.”

The words felt sad when Chapin Henley said them, but they proved prophetic. Another bogey and a few strokes later, Henley squatted behind his ball on the 15th green. He was five strokes over par. Another bogey, and he would likely miss the cut.

Henley stood up and swung. The ball began to roll. Henley had seen playing partner Larry Mize chip and knew the green was fast. The ball continued to roll. Chapin Henley didn’t know if it had enough speed. The ball continued to roll. As it approached the cup, the crowd’s silence crescendoed into a roar. The ball fell into the cup. Eagle.

Henley threw both of his hands in the air. His father did, too.

“I knew it would come around at some point,” Henley said.

Henley said he felt “flat” before his eagle. The shot reinvigorated his game. Henley birdied the next hole. He birdied 18, too. When he walked off the final green, Henley stood safely underneath the cut at 1-over par.

“I feel like if I play my game and I hang around, then I'm capable of playing with these guys,” Henley said. “I've done it before and I'll do it again.”

This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 6:16 PM with the headline "How an eagle putt kept Russell Henley's tournament alive at the Masters."