There’s a splurge of first-time players under par at 2020 Masters Tournament

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Harry Higgs has one competitive round under his belt and claims to have found the answer to Augusta National.

“There is no secret out here,” Higgs said. “There’s one place to miss, and one place to hit. It just falls on you to execute it.”

The Dallas native posted 1-under 71 on Thursday and is vying to continue the recent trend of first-time participants making a weekend splash.

Since 2019, seven competitors have broken par in every round of their debut, while Sungjae Im (2020) and Will Zalatoris (2021) finished as runner-up.

“I don’t think it really takes more than three or four rounds around this place beforehand,” Higgs said. “Most of the young guys, I don’t think they really pay attention to the moment. They get lost in what they’re trying to do. They trust their ability.”

Prior to 2019, only 14 first-timers had ever posted four sub-par rounds in the history of the Masters Tournament, dating to 1934.

So, why the recent splurge?

Higgs’ hypothesis is simple:

“A lot of guys just want to show off. They want to prove to themselves and everybody else that they’re capable of winning these things.”

In 1984, Larry Mize accomplished the feat in his Masters housewarming, and gave two reasons why the current crop is experiencing early success.

“First-time players are good, obviously, that’s the number one thing,” Mize said. “Also, the length some of these kids is a big asset around here. When you’re hitting short irons into greens, that’s the whole thing about this golf course: put the ball in the right spots on the greens.”

Mize noted that before his first competitive round, he had only played Augusta National twice. Today, however, notable collegiate programs are often invited for annual outings.

For Scottie Scheffler, who clipped par in each round of his debut in 2020, his teams at the University of Texas were invited to play each season.

“I know Georgia, Georgia Tech bring the kids over here to play it,” Mize said. “That could definitely play a role.”

Still, no first-timer has left Augusta in green since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. For Higgs, he doesn’t view inexperience as a liability.

The SMU product played practice rounds at Augusta National in December, March, and then spent Sunday and Monday picking the brain of Dustin Johnson.

“D.J. was a wealth of knowledge,” Higgs said. “Kudos to him. The best piece of advice is that this golf course is really hard. Four holes play under par year after year, and those are the par 5s. There’s nothing wrong with making pars.”

Higgs donned an Amen Corner belt on Thursday, and was asked if he plans to wear the item all week.

“I have another Augusta belt, and then a Trinity Forest belt,” he said. “We’ll see.”

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