By Frank Pingue
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 12 (Reuters) – Russell Henley did not get the birthday present he was looking for at Augusta National on Sunday, but a best-ever major finish and a brief stint atop the Masters leaderboard on his 37th birthday were not a bad consolation prize.
Henley shot a four-under-par 68 in the final round to finish in a four-way share of third place, two back of winner Rory McIlroy, and walked away from Augusta with a quiet confidence that he belongs in this company.
“I feel like I handled it well, kind of like, I can do this,” said Henley, who missed the Masters cut last year. “I felt like I handled the pressure well, handled the conditions well. It was tricky out there.”
Henley was attempting to become the first player to win the Masters on his birthday. The last player to win a PGA Tour event on their birthday was Steve Flesch, who won the 2004 Charles Schwab Challenge.
Henley, who represented the United States at last year’s Ryder Cup, briefly held the lead during the final round before the putts stopped dropping at the business end of the tournament.
“I hit it amazing today. I gave myself a bunch of looks. Unfortunately, I didn’t capitalize on those looks on the back like I would have liked to,” he said. “Really thankful for a good finish. Wish I would have made some more putts and got a little closer to the lead, but overall very thankful.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Augusta, Georgia; Editing by Jamie Freed)
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