As a student at Augusta State University, Oliver Wilson listened through the open window of his college digs as the crowd roared Tiger Woods to victory in the US Masters at nearby Augusta National.

Now Wilson is going back to the city where he was a student to play against the world’s best golfers in the 2009 Masters.

By reaching 39th in the world rankings in the last official event of 2008, the 28-year-old Englishman has qualified as one of the top 50 automatically invited to Augusta.

It rounds off a breakthrough year in which he made his Ryder Cup debut and established himself as one of the new breed of rising European stars.

While Europe savours having five players in the world’s top 10, the Masters will also reflect the rise of the next generation - with players such as 19-year-old Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland Ryder Cup debutant Graeme McDowell and England’s Ross Fisher all joining Wilson in making their first appearances.

‘There’s a lot of young talent coming through and the strength of the under-30s on the European Tour shows that a new era is on its way,’ said Wilson. ‘It’s very exciting and even though we didn’t win the Ryder Cup we can definitely challenge the Americans on the world stage.

‘Like every golfer, it’s always been my ambition to make it to the Masters. I was inspired by living there for six years and the city has a special affection for me. Augusta is my second home.

'Playing and studying there helped to make me the player I am and there will be a lot of emotion when I go back to play in front of so many friends I made there.

‘I always wanted to be the first graduate from the university to play in the Masters, only for America’s Vaughn Taylor to beat me by two years. But I’m the first Briton, so I’ll take that.’

As a member of the England Under-18 team, Wilson was scouted by the university to take up a scholarship, only to turn them down because he did not want to leave home.

Two years later, frustrated by the lack of practice facilities near his home town of Mansfield, he changed his mind and gained a last minute spot in the 10-man squad when an English friend dropped out because of visa problems.

‘I had a fabulous time,’ said Wilson. ‘There was a lot of fun and it was a complete change of life for me at 20 years of age. I was lucky that there was a really good crowd of guys on the team and the coach, Jay Seawell, was one of the best.

'He would do anything to help me improve. Just playing competitively every day against the rest of the team made sure I progressed.’

After gaining a degree in psychology - ‘I hoped it would help my golf but it was no use at all,’ he admitted - Wilson, whose long-time American girlfriend Lauren Smith was a member of the women’s golf team, opted to remain in Augusta

Wilson’s Ryder Cup experience, in which he stunningly holed a 25-foot putt to complete a comeback foursomes victory with Henrik Stenson against Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim from four holes down, instilled him with the belief to make an impact in the big individual events.

‘Qualifying for the team showed how consistently I’d been performing and I was pretty pleased with the way I played,’ he said. ‘It was as nerve-racking as it gets and really put my game under a test. The way I responded gave me confidence.’

Wilson has gained a reputation as a runner-up, having finished second eight times as he awaits his first victory after four years on the European Tour.

Only last month he lost in a play-off in China to world No2 Sergio Garcia. But the self-effacing East Midlander is in good company as Padraig Harrington, who swept all the 2008 awards after winning two majors this year, suffered from a similar image for a long time before discovering the winning habit.

‘It’s a bit of a hot topic,’ said Wilson. ‘But I’m not too worried. I feel I’m a much better player than someone who’s never won and my world ranking reflects that.

'I’m doing all the right things and I haven’t messed up too much. It just hasn’t panned out. But it will and once I win, I’ll win plenty more. As long as I don’t buy into all the talk about it I’ll be fine.’

Having played Augusta National four times, with a best score of level par 72, Wilson believes he knows the course well enough to be comfortable.

‘They always said first-timers could never do well,’ he said. ‘But Justin Rose and Luke Donald have dispelled that theory, so I’d like to go there and be in contention. It’s going to be very exciting, especially with Tiger’s probable return.’

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