Memories as a young patron return for Russell Henley during his top-5 Masters finish
Russell Henley had long dreamed of being in contention on a Sunday at the 2023 Masters Tournament.
It became reality this week at Augusta National Golf Club.
Henley fired a four-round total of 7-under-par 281 to tie for fourth, five shots back of champion Jon Rahm.
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The memories of being a young patron flooded back for the 33-year-old Macon, Georgia, native after his round was complete. He remembered being in the crowd for Mike Weir's win in 2003 and he recalled being a youngster and watching Vijay Singh hit a wedge shot into the second hole. The former Georgia Bulldog also recollected the time he fell asleep in the grandstands at No. 15 because it was too hot.
He made more memories on Sunday as he started his round in the second-to-last pairing and shot a 2-under par 70 to close his tournament.
"Growing up and coming and watching this tournament and being a part of it like that on a Sunday and playing well was the best memory I have," Henley said. "It was so cool to kind of be in the mix a little bit. I just have a lot of memories from coming every year and it was really cool to be a part of the tournament like that."
As the shadows grew long on the golf course Sunday, Henley remained on the leaderboard throughout the final round. He was disappointed with his wedge game but pleased with his putting.
After back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes, Henley was within three shots of the lead. He fell back with a bogey at No. 5 but regained a shot with a birdie at No. 9. He parred every hole along the second nine.
Henley's finish bettered the tie for 11th he had at the 2017 tournament and secured the best he's had at a major.
By being in the top 12, Henley is qualified for next year's tournament.
"I wanted to have my best finish in a major, that was my goal," Henley said. "As I started to play, I looked up and realized I was only three shots off the lead at one point. I knew that I could make some birdies on the back if I just executed and I didn't do that. I didn't hit those wedge shots when I had a chance to be aggressive. I felt like I could reach out and maybe put a little pressure on somebody, so that was cool. Overall, I was just focused on trying to have my best finish."
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Russell Henley places top five at Augusta National during 2023 Masters
