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.