DAVID CLIMER

For Brandt Snedeker, it's all about green jacket

David Climer
dclimer@tennessean.com
Brandt Snedeker high fives daughter Lily after making a putt on the ninth green during the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – He is slightly trimmer now thanks to his workout routine and diet, so I've got Brandt Snedeker pegged at 40-Regular.

Hey, you always want to be prepared.

As the Masters tees off on Thursday, it's all about the green jacket. On Sunday evening, the winner will slip on the most revered piece of attire in the world of golf.

On the sacred grounds of Augusta National, clothes really do make the man.

And for Snedeker, Nashville's home-grown professional golf star, his wardrobe will never be quite complete if he doesn't win a green jacket.

"This is obviously the tournament I want to win more than anything else on the planet," he said. "I make no secret of that. It drives me. It motivates me."

Yes, the Masters is his magnificent obsession. When he qualified for his first Masters by winning the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 2003, he took advantage of a club rule that allows a qualifier virtually unlimited access to the course in the weeks leading up to the tournament.

Then a student at Vanderbilt, Snedeker would make the 6½-hour drive to Augusta and play as often as possible.

"I was here every chance I got," he said. "I showed up so much they considered changing the rule."

I have wondered aloud and in print if Snedeker wants to win the Masters too badly and thus puts undue pressure on himself. He disagrees.

"I just don't see that. I really don't," he said. "Yes, it's certainly important to me, but I don't let it drag me down like some people think I do. I just want to come here playing as well as I possibly can."

Brandt Snedeker holds his daughter Lily during the Par 3 contest on Wednesday.

At age 34, he's come a long way since the heartbreak of 2008. That year, he played in the last pairing on Sunday but shot a final-round 77 and finished tied for third. He broke into tears during the post-round press conference.

In 2013, he was tied for the 54-hole lead and again played in the final pairing. He birdied the first hole to hold the lead by himself, but things got away from him and he shot a closing 75 to finish tied for sixth.

Last year, he was in solid shape entering the third round but five-putted the par-3 fourth hole for a quadruple-bogey and shot 80. His eventual tie for 37th was his worst Masters finish as a professional.

"Every year is different," he said. "I've been here so many times in so many different situations — at different points in my career and different points in my game. … You're always learning. You learn things about the golf course and you learn things about yourself."

For a time, though, it appeared Snedeker might not be in the field at this Masters. He had only three top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour last year and fell out of the top 50 in the World Golf Rankings. Two months ago, he did not meet any of the qualification criteria for the Masters.

Then he won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am to punch his ticket to Augusta National. He admits it was "a big relief" to know he was returning to Augusta National.

"Winning was important, but the way I went about winning was really satisfying," he said. "It proved that the things I had been working on would hold up under pressure."

That victory came after Snedeker parted with longtime instructor Todd Anderson in favor of Butch Harmon. Snedeker said he no longer finds himself getting bogged down with worries about every last component of his game.

"Butch has helped me understand my technique and everything I need to be consistent," he said. "He just gives me a lot of confidence. I come out here thinking about playing golf instead of worrying about my swing. It's a big difference."

Snedeker has remarkable balance in his life. He and wife Mandy, who met when both were at Vanderbilt, have two young children, daughter Lily and son Austin. They turned the traditional par-3 tournament on the day prior to the start of the Masters into a family affair on Wednesday.

Money is no object. He has made more than $25 million in official tournament earnings since turning pro in 2004. He banked $10 million by sweeping the FedEx Cup and Tour Championship in 2012. He has a number of endorsement deals, including MasterCard and Bridgestone.

Beyond that, Snedeker appears to have put his health problems in the past. In 2013, a troublesome rib condition was diagnosed as "low bone turnover," which was treated with medication. He also changed his diet to eliminate junk food.

"I'm healthy and feeling fine," he said.

Thus, he begins the Masters in a good frame of mind. But it is not lost on Snedeker that he is 0-for-29 in major championships, although he does have six top-10 finishes in majors.

"Brandt will never say it, but he knows that in order to validate his career, he needs to win a major championship," said older brother Haymes, a former All-SEC golfer at Ole Miss. "The Masters is his best chance to win a major because of the way his game is suited to Augusta National."

Indeed, a green jacket would be a welcome addition to his wardrobe.

Reach David Climer at 615-259-8020 and on Twitter @David Climer.

BRANDT SNEDEKER AT THE MASTERS

2004: 41st, 12-over (amateur)

2008: Third, 4-under

2009: 73rd, 6-over, missed cut

2011: 15th, 4-under 284

2012: 19th, even

2013: Sixth, 4-under

2014: 37th, 7-over