Henley's Honda win was his ticket to Augusta

Russell Henley was worried.

The Macon native, who attended the Masters Tournament regularly as a junior golfer, wasn’t in the 2014 field, and time was running out.

“I saw a couple Masters commercials this week, and I’ll be honest, it hurt, it hurt to see them,” Henley said at the Honda Classic in early March. “It hurts to see guys wearing a (Masters) hat and knowing that I wasn’t in. And I just kept thinking to myself, and it’s been like this for a while. I just can’t imagine not playing again. I just feel like that would hurt me really bad.”

Henley’s worries ended with the Honda Classic, when he came from four shots back after six holes to win a four-man playoff. He qualified for the Masters as a PGA Tour winner.

Henley, a former University of Georgia golfer, vividly remembers the first time he saw Augusta National Golf Club in person.

“It was just so cool,” said Henley, who was a pre-teen. “I remember just walking out from right at the bottom of the hill on No. 1, and I remember the smell and the look and how green it was, and I just – it was just overwhelming.

“I remember sitting behind No. 2 and we looked down and we like felt the grass and we thought it was the coolest thing, like it was Augusta National grass, and just so smooth and perfect. For some reason, it’s just always been a big deal being really close to Augusta and just watch it on TV, so it’s going to be cool to go back.”

Now that he’s in, Henley wants to improve on last year’s performance. In his Masters debut, he shot 72-81, with the 81 putting a damper on his 24th birthday. He missed the cut by five shots.

This year, his birthday falls on the third round.

“I try to think positive and not get my hopes up too much about it, but I think about it a lot, and hopefully this year will be a little bit better than the last,” he said.

After winning his PGA Tour debut at the Sony Open in January 2013, Henley said, he wasn’t ready for what lay ahead.

“It was my rookie year on tour,” Henley said. “I think I played in the Masters, played in all the majors, played in all the World Golf Championships, and I don’t know that I was really prepared to do all that mentally.

“I think I just wasn’t ready for it. I think I’ve definitely grown a lot since then, and hopefully after this win (at the Honda Classic), I can be a little bit more consistent, but obviously, that’s always the goal.”

Both of his wins have come early in the season. He’s taking a different approach after the latest victory.

“I want to keep practicing. I’m really enjoying golf right now, playing, practicing, and I think it’s just a little different than last year,” he said. “I’m excited to keep working on my game.”

Two days after the Honda Classic victory, Henley was at Doral bright and early, preparing for the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

“Last year, after the win, I probably would have slept in,” he said.

Instead, he woke up at 6 a.m., played nine holes at Doral and practiced afterward.

“I don’t know if that means I’m growing up,” Henley said. “Hopefully, not too much. But I think I’m just – I think I’m, hopefully, a little bit more prepared than last time (he won).”