J.J. Henry likely is out of contention for winning his first green jacket, but he would have loved to have borrowed one from the Champions Locker Room of the Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday to help keep his upper body warm at the 71st Masters Tournament.

J.J. Henry walks away from the third green after saving par. The Texan shot rounds of 71-78-77 to reach 10-over par. (Andrew Davis Tucker/Staff)

"I grew up in Connecticut, so this is kind of what I grew up playing in," he said. "This is a nice day this time of year or in late fall (in Connecticut). You watch (the Masters) on TV and everybody's in short-sleeve shirts, and you're hearing roars around Amen Corner. (Saturday), everybody was bundled up, and I didn't hear many roars."

Despite the blustery conditions and the severe difficulty the golf course presented, Henry was like the other seven first-time Masters players who made the cut and played Saturday - it beats watching it on television.

"Heck, the way I look at it and knowing that the conditions are going to be tough again (today), I'm going to go out with a good attitude," Henry said. "It's my first Masters. Obviously, I made the cut and I'm in position, if I play well, to have a good week."

Henry is one of 17 players - including five amateurs - who made their first appearance at the Masters. He was fortunate enough to survive the first two rounds, as was Sweden's Robert Karlsson, Korea's Yong-Eun Yang, India's Jeev Milkha Singh, Welshman Bradley Dredge, Dean Wilson, Brett Wetterich and Brett Quigley.

Dredge, Wilson and Singh were the top performers of the group Saturday, fighting through the wind during the late afternoon to post scores of 4-over 76. Wetterich, who was the tournament co-leader the first two rounds, posted 83. For the tournament, Dredge leads the first-timers group at 5-over.

Through three rounds, Karlsson wondered what he could've done to better prepare himself for the slick greens and narrow fairways of Augusta National. The whipping wind on the course augmented his problems.

Brett Quigley hits from the bunker on the second green for bogey during the third round. He starts today tied for 51st. (Michael Holahan/Staff)

"I haven't been here a long time," he said. "The way I played, it probably wouldn't have helped if I'd played a hundred practice rounds; let's put it that way. My game has just not been good enough."

Henry lamented the weather situation and the dry course conditions.

"If there's a harder challenge in golf than this out here, I don't know what it is," he said. "There are some hard shots out here with no wind. It's hard to trust and be decisive. Everything is just so dry. I can just tell by my hands. I need to go put some lotion on my hands. There's no humidity in the air."

Wilson didn't know how to describe his third-round 76, but questioned the intent of the tournament's officials.

"Every time I grew up watching it (on television), it was always beautiful and guys were making birdies," the Las Vegas resident said. "They just set the course up to where guys are not going to make birdies. I don't know if that's what they want.

"I don't know if they want U.S. Open conditions where one guy finishes under par. If that's what they're looking for, then it's disappointing because Augusta is somewhere where there's a lot of excitement.

"Out here, it's hard to even try to plan on what to do, because the elements are just so demanding."

Henry came to the realization that the weather likely won't improve much by today, so he's solely fixed on making a push to slip into the top 16, which receives an automatic Masters invitation for 2008.

"You can make great shots and still make bogeys; it's the same for everybody," he said. "My goal at this point is to get invited back next year. With a good, solid round, I think I'm in striking distance of doing that."