AUGUSTA — henley golfer Russell Henley moved to the front of Georgia’s Masters group on Saturday with a career-best 65, putting himself in position to lead the Bulldogs into the final round. Four former University of Georgia players are still standing at Augusta, the most of any college program in the field. Henley sits at 6-under 210 entering Sunday, while Brian Harman, Harris English and Sepp Straka also stayed under par.
Henley golfer sets the pace for Georgia
Henley’s third-round surge came with control and patience. He hit 11 of 14 fairways, needed only 25 putts and avoided a three-putt for the first time this week, a sharp change on a demanding course where mistakes have been costly. “Super calm conditions, and I just felt like I hit my irons great and gave myself a lot of looks for birdie and had some good par saves. Extremely pleased, ” Henley said.
The henley golfer position matters because he is now the low Bulldog among the four Georgia graduates still in the event. Oklahoma State is next among colleges with three former players remaining, while Texas, North Carolina, Cal, UNLV, UCLA and Wake Forest each have two.
Four former Bulldogs stay in contention
Brian Harman, who was in rough shape early in the tournament, steadied himself with a 69 on Friday and a personal-best 67 on Saturday. He will begin the last round at 1 over par. Harman acknowledged that the opening round left him behind, but said he did not overhaul anything to trigger the rebound. “I’ve been driving the ball a lot better, ” Harman said. “Been in position a lot. The first day I just mishit a couple irons that led to bogeys instead of birdies. If I hit good shots, there’s no telling how that round gets turned around. That’s what’s so interesting about this place. There’s just no faking it. ”
Harman added that he believes better play is always close, even when the scorecard does not show it right away. “I believe in myself, ” he said. “I know it’s always right around the corner. It’s hard to keep telling yourself that sometimes when you haven’t seen a lot of evidence, but I’ve got 15 years to show you that right around the corner is pretty good. ”
Masters pressure and a strong middle day
Sepp Straka shot 3-under 69 and moved to 2-under 214 after another day without a three-putt. He needed 28 putts while hitting seven fairways, then summed up the round simply: “Today was definitely my worst round. I was just able to make some putts. ” Harris English posted 71 for the second straight day and is tied with Harman at 215.
The group’s presence gives Georgia a clear final-round storyline: one school, four former players, and one of them — the henley golfer — carrying the lowest score among them. That status reflects the kind of controlled round Henley built Saturday, while the others kept themselves in the picture for one more day at Augusta.
What comes next on Sunday
The final round will determine whether Georgia’s strong Masters showing becomes a deeper Sunday run or simply a notable statistic in the record book. Henley, the henley golfer at the top of the Bulldogs’ board, enters the last day with the clearest path among the four former Georgia players still in the field. Harman, English and Straka all remain under par, and all four will try to finish the week as the low Bulldog.
