Even for someone who doesn’t like to be rushed, Thomas Detry acknowledges he has had plenty of time to prepare for his Masters debut.
Of the 95-strong field contesting the opening Major Championship of the season, the Belgian has known for some time - more than most - that his wait to test his game for the first time at Augusta National would come to an end this week.
A 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th in the final round of last year’s US PGA Championship at Valhalla saw him finish in a tie for fourth, securing his invite to the first Major of 2025 11 months ago.
And having watched the Masters every year since his early childhood, Detry felt at ease in his surroundings on his first drive down Magnolia Lane for his first practice round last month.
“I came here two or three weeks ago, and I felt like I knew every single shot even though I’d never played the course, just because I’ve been watching it on TV for the last 25 years, every single year,” he told the DP World Tour.
“You know every single flag, the back flag on hole number four, you go pin high right…
“When I got to hole 12, I felt like I knew to just play conservatively between the two bunkers to put the water out of play. I am just so used to watching it on TV.”
Just listening to Detry, who is speaking to us from inside the house which he booked straight after the US PGA Championship and is nearby to Augusta National, his sense of anticipation is palpable. But there is no giddy excitement, he is here to perform well.
From his career-best finish on one of golf’s four biggest stages at Valhalla last year, Detry has only grown as a player.
While another strong Major showing followed at the U.S. Open a month later, it is since the turn of the year that the 32-year-old has broken new ground.
A familiar figure in the game, across both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR, with his career trajectory steadily building, a title on either tour was proving elusive.
But it was only a matter of time and that wait came to its own stop in February when he won the WM Phoenix Open on the PGA TOUR, rising to a career-high 22nd in the Official World Golf Ranking as a result.
While history shows that Augusta is not a venue at which rookies shine, with just three first-time champions in its history, could Detry buck that trend?
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In an article for the DP World Tour website, European Ryder Cup vice-captain Edoardo Molinari, a four-time competitor at Augusta, picked out the 2016 HotelPlanner Tour graduate as someone he believed could perform well.
So, knowing it has been 46 years since Fuzzy Zoeller was the last rookie win the Green Jacket in 1979, what does Detry believe he is capable of this week?
“I don’t really have any expectations. I am really happy to be here,” he explained.
“I do feel really comfortable with my game. I have had the start of the year that I wanted on the PGA TOUR so I am stress-free in a way for my card. I am pretty content with where I am at the moment.
“The thing is it is such a grind out here that it is never-ending. Every time you take things for granted and feel like things are going too well, that is where the game of golf hits you in the face.
“I don’t like to put that extra pressure on myself. It just doesn’t fit well for me. I need to trust my game, stick to what I do, I am just a grinder… I do well when I feel like I work hard, when I don’t take things for granted.”
However, saying all that, finishing among the top 12 and ties and guaranteeing an invite back to Augusta is firmly in his sights.
“I do feel like I have experienced what it is like to be there on a Sunday afternoon at a Major venue so he might be right,” he added of Molinari.
“I try to stay sharp on every aspect of my game. I feel like I could definitely get a top ten out of this week and secure another Masters invite for next year.”
His new elevated status in the game has brought with it raised expectations, something to which he is still becoming accustomed.
If you treat a major like any other tournament you already eliminate half of the field
Since his win in Scottsdale, Arizona, Detry has made five appearances stateside with a best finish of tied 22nd coming at the Valspar Championship last month.
In his own words, finding the balance between intensity and contentness is something that he is continuously working towards. However, Detry believes he has an approach that will best serve him to produce his best golf.
“If you treat a Major like any other tournament you already eliminate half of the field," he said of a piece of advice given to him by a former caddie.
"At Majors, people always over-prepare and put pressure on themselves.
"You sort of know that these guys are going to put extra pressure on themselves and if you managed to approach this week as any other tournament week then you are a couple of shots ahead."
Since arriving at Augusta on Saturday evening, he has played nine holes on both Sunday and Monday, in an effort to “ease into the week”.
"I don't like to rush things," he said.
"At both the US PGA and U.S. Open last year I took a week off the week before so that helped me prepare for a tough week because Majors are always a tough week."
While he has come to prefer playing his practice rounds later in the afternoon away from the hustle of bustle of players teeing off early in the morning, those plans were altered as inclement weather on Monday and an early awakening from one of his two daughters forced an early start.
With him hoping to play with a couple of Masters regulars over the final two practice days, Detry believes he will be as ready to go as he can come Thursday’s first round.
“It is a golf course that massively benefits experience,” he said. “I am definitely lacking experience, but I don’t think it’s going to be an issue.
“You definitely have a big advantage if you have played it many times.
“That is a big reason why (José María) Olazabal, Bernhard Langer and these guys still literally have a chance of competing out here, because they know the course so well.
“Even though it is long, they can still play with the slopes. They know the course so well, they’re almost playing chess rather than golf. That is the beauty of the course.”
