By Rory Carroll
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 7 (Reuters) - For Masters first-timers, the walk through Augusta National's gates is equal parts dream fulfilled and test of composure as a new class of players tries to balance awe with the demands of one of golf's most exacting stages.
This year's tournament includes a strong contingent of debutants who say they are trying not to be overwhelmed by the pressure that comes with playing in one of golf's most anticipated events.
"As a kid, it was a dream to just
even be out here," said Ben Griffin, who captured all three of his wins on the PGA Tour last year.
"As a player, this is a dream come true."
Like many newcomers, Griffin said he was still absorbing the details of a course he had previously known mostly through television highlights and golfing lore.
He pointed to Augusta National's famed Amen Corner as a place where the atmosphere seems to shift.
"Once you get to Amen Corner everything kind of gets a bit more peaceful," he said, even as he noted the swirling winds and danger packed into one of the sport's most celebrated stretches.
The memories that first drew the players to Augusta remain vivid.
For Griffin, Tiger Woods' chip-in at the 16th hole in 2005 stands above the rest, while Chris Gotterup said Woods' 2019 victory was the image that most clearly stayed with him as he began to envision a professional career.
EMBRACING THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE
Gotterup, who won two of his four PGA Tour titles this year, said he was focused on embracing the whole experience.
"I'm trying to take it all in and enjoy it while also trying to go out there and compete and give it everything I've got," he said.
Yet even with the grandeur of the Masters, he said his nerves would come less from the course than from the occasion itself.
"I'm sure on the first tee I'll be nervous," he said. "It's something different that I haven't experienced before."
Jacob Bridgeman, the winner of this year's Genesis Invitational, described the contrast between attending the Masters as a spectator and arriving as a competitor, saying it feels "different walking inside the ropes."
He added that reaching Augusta is the benchmark players chase from the start of each season.
Fifa Laopakdee, who staged a thrilling final-round comeback to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Dubai last year, said he felt calm in practice and expected nerves on Thursday to be part of the experience rather than something to fear.
"Everyone is always going to feel nervous on the first tee, even the best player in the world," he said. "I'm just going to embrace it."
For this year's newcomers, that may be the essential Masters skill - accepting the nerves, honouring the moment and trusting that they belong.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Ken Ferris)
