The 86th Masters begins on Thursday and six former Bulldogs (not counting Patrick Reed) are in the field. Another former Georgia golfer qualified but will not play due to an injury. Last year, three former Dawgs finished in the top 30. Only one former Bulldog has ever won the prestigious green jacket, but a few have come close. Here is a list of the best finishes by a Georgia golfer plus a deeper look at each one competing this week at Augusta National.

Brian Harman – Official World Golf Ranking (53rd) – 2 career PGA Tour Wins

Harman finished T-2nd in the 2017 U.S. Open, but is still looking for his first major. He made the cut in 3 of 4 majors last season and played quite well. He had three top-20 finishes including his best Masters finish ever at T-12th. He entered the 2021 Masters with one career round under par. But in 2021, he opened the first major with back-to-back 69’s (3 under). This season, the lefty has made 10 of 13 cuts including a third-place finish at the American Express out in La Quinta and a fifth-place at Valspar.

Russell Henley – Official World Golf Ranking (42nd) – 3 career PGA Tour Wins

Henley has never finished in the top 10 of a major, but nine times finished in the top-25. Three of those nine came in Augusta, but strangely enough, he hasn’t played in the Masters since 2018. He made the cut in two of the three majors he entered last season. Henley made the cut in all 12 events he has played this season and in eight of them finished in the top-25. He lost in a playoff out at the Sony Open in Hawaii back in January.

Kevin Kisner – Official World Golf Ranking (27th) – 4 career PGA Tour Wins

Kevin Kisner has had an excellent career so far, but is still looking for his first career major. His best finishes are T-2nd in 2018 Open Championship and T-7th in 2017 PGA Championship. Last season made the cut in the final two majors after missing the first two. It has been a bizarre season for Kisner. He has four top 10’s this season, but has also four missed cuts in 11 PGA Tour events. He has two top 5’s in the last three events including a runner-up finish last month at the WGC-Dell Tech Match Play.

Sepp Straka – Official World Golf Ranking (72nd) – 1 career PGA Tour Wins

This is Sepp Straka’s first Masters’ appearance. He is one of 20 golfers in this year's field that is making his Masters' debut (15 professionals and five amateurs). He has played in just two majors previously (2019 U.S. Open and 2020 PGA Championship) and made the cut in both. This season, he has made 11 of 17 cuts including his first career PGA Tour win at the Honda Classic back in February. He is one of nine first-time winners on tour this season.

He missed the cut in his first three tournaments of the season, but has turned it around, especially as of late making the cut in eight and of his final nine events.

Hudson Swafford – Official World Golf Ranking (79th) – 3 career PGA Tour Wins

Hudson Swafford has never made the cut in any of his six major appearances including two Masters (2017 and 2021). In the 2021 season, Swafford had his ups and downs. He made only 12 of 29 cuts, but had a win at the Corales Puntacana and a runner-up at the Palmetto Championship. This season, he has made the cut in nine of 16 cuts and won the American Express (formerly known as the Desert Classic) for the second time in his career.

Bubba Watson – Official World Golf Ranking (68th) – 12 career PGA Tour Wins

It is crazy to think that is has been ten years since Bubba’s first Masters win. Bubba Watson is still Georgia’s only major winner. He is also one of 17 golfers to have won at least two Masters (2012 and 2014). He is one of four golfers in the field this year that have won multi-Masters (Tiger Woods, Bernhard Langer, and Jose Maria Olazabal). The Masters is his most successful major, making the cut in 12 of 13 tries and three top-5’s. Overall, he has played just five events this season and made the cut three times. He also revealed that he has ADHD and suffers from anxiety issues.

Harris English is ranked 23rd in the Official World Golf Rankings, but will be sitting out this prestigious tournament due to a hip injury. He has not played on the tour since January.

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Here is a look at the tee times for Thursday's first round