Harris English will begin his quest for the iconic green jacket at his first Masters today at Augusta National. 

In a realization of his boyhood dream to play this tournament the 24-year-old will tee off in the final group today at 1:59 PM with fellow Georgia alum Russell Henley and Englishman Lee Westwood.

“It’s really cool,” English said of being paired with a fellow bulldog. “It will be good for the Georgia people. A lot of (Bull)‘Dog’ fans out here. I’ve obviously played with him a good bit. I like (Russell) a lot, he’s a great guy.”

So how will English, who is presently ranked 36th in the world golf rankings, handle the challenge of Augusta National’s ultra-fast greens and the nuances of the course’s layout?

“I think it’s more like nerves and all the atmosphere,” English said. “I mean, it’s unbelievable. This is golf’s stadium right here. It’s the tournament I always dreamed about playing and it’s finally here.”

English took two weeks off of tournament golf going in to the season’s first major this week. He arrived on Sunday and played 18 holes for preparation, inclement weather washed out Monday, he played 18 more on Tuesday, and played the front nine Wednesday before partaking in one of the Masters many great traditions: the Par 3 Contest.

English took two weeks off of tournament golf going in to the season’s first major this week. He arrived on Sunday and played 18 holes for preparation, inclement weather washed out Monday, he played 18 more on Tuesday, and played the front nine Wednesday before partaking in one of the Masters many great traditions: the Par 3 Contest.

For this laid-back event English had his mother Martha caddie for him. It’s tradition for a player to have a family member or spouse don the white Masters caddie bib and carry the bag on Augusta National’s Par 3 course.

So how did mom do?

“She did good,” English said. “She doesn’t know a whole lot about golf. She handed me tees every hole and took my putter head cover off. This is an experience we’ll always remember.”

Martha called the experience “very special” and replaced her husband Ben English, who was originally supposed to caddie but ended up being under the weather.

As a Georgia alum, English had played Augusta National six times before this week. 

He is one of 24 first-timers competing at Augusta National this week and a Masters rookie has not won since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. English played with Zoeller in the Par 3 contest on Wednesday.

“There’s 24 of us here, so I would say that’s a quarter of the field,” English said. “There’s a lot of good players in that rookie class.  Who knows?  I think it’s possible and we’ll see when it comes to Sunday.”

Experience typically goes a long way in determining this tournament’s winner.

“I think this course is all about experience and obviously history has shown that the guys who play here year after year have the upper hand,” English said. “I honestly don’t think about that when I’m teeing it up. It’s a golf tournament, I’ve got to do my deal and play my game. I can’t be thinking about being a first-timer in the Masters. Who knows, it could happen this year.”

English made a hole-in-one on Sunday during a practice round with Brandt Snedeker.

Of all holes it came on the par 3 12th, one of most well-known in the world of golf.

“I hit a full pitching wedge, it landed short and then just went in,” English said. “No better hole to have it on than 12. I’ve got some good vibes there for sure.”

So as English begins his maiden Masters voyage we will soon see what this Georgia-native can do in his home-state’s magnificent major championship.

“I feel like I’ve done a lot of preparation for it, I just (got to) go out, and have a good time, and soak it all in, and try to climb up that leader-board and get some stuff going.