He’s officially ranked equal 1434th in the world but Australian amateur Bryden Macpherson has lofty goals at the Masters – and local knowledge to help achieve them.

The 21-year-old Victorian finds himself competing with the best players in the world at Augusta National this week thanks to his triumph in the 2011 British Amateur – the first by an Australian in more than 50 years.

As a member of Golf Australia’s national squad, Macpherson has long been earmarked for big things.

While he’s keenly aware how big a step up this is, the youngster’s enthusiasm and confidence are infectious.

“This is the massive stage. It’s the big stage of the big stage,” Macpherson said after a practice round on Monday.

“Every player here is either in the top 50 in the world, has won an event or is a legend of the game, that’s the company you’re in, so I’m obviously super-excited.”

While most amateurs would be thrilled to just make the cut, Macpherson has loftier ambitions.

Having attended college at the University of Georgia nearby for the past two years he’s had the chance to play the ultra-private course before and hopes that knowledge propels him to The Silver Cup, awarded to the low amateur.

It also ensures he’ll have plenty of local support, something the youngster loves.

The spirited Macpherson spent his practice round holing out chips and sticking approach shots very close, revving the galleries up any chance he had.

“I love to win tournaments. You never show up to come second,” he said.

“You put in all the preparation to win and if you turn up and say `I just want to make the cut’, that doesn’t make sense.

“I firmly believe I can realistically finish in the top 16 and get an invite back here, that’s my result goal.

“But if I do something ridiculously good that’s great.

“I know that if I play phenomenal golf for four days, I can win. If I make 14 pars and four birdies every round I can win.

“But the likelihood of doing that under the pressure is another story.”

There are five other amateurs in the 97-man field – Americans Patrick Cantlay, Kelly Kraft, Randal Lewis and Corbin Mills plus Hideki Matsuyama from Japan.

Macpherson defeated Kraft last week in the Georgia Cup, (an exhibition between the British Amateur and US Amateur winners) to come in with added confidence.

Matsuyama is the only one of the amateurs to have played the Masters before, returning as last year’s Silver Cup winner after finishing 27th.

The six get to attend the annual amateur dinner together and stay together in the famous Crows Nest, the traditional lodgings for amateurs perched above the clubhouse.

“Arguably we are the best amateurs in the world and that’s what it’s supposed to be, the best players, the masters so to speak,” Macpherson says.

“I have played the course maybe nine or 10 times and that’s more than most rookies so that will be an advantage.

“But I try not to think of myself in a different class. It’s my first Masters just like anyone else, just like Jason Day last year, and he was second.”

Macpherson withdrew from university in February so he could work with his coaches in Australia ahead of the Masters and a future professional career.

He spent five weeks working on swing mechanics and now expects to tee it up on the US PGA Tour in the Memorial Tournament in late May, if not before.

Father Mark, mother Debbie and a handful of friends have made the trek from Melbourne to support his efforts.

“Who wouldn’t dream of being the first Australian Masters winner as an amateur,” a proud Mark Macpherson said.

“You never know. He has an incredible work ethic, even from a young age and he comes into every tournament to win, it doesn’t matter what tournament it is.”

Macpherson says if not him, he hopes one of his fellow Australians can breaks the country’s 76-year winless drought at Augusta National this year.

“To be the first amateur in a long time and the first Aussie to win, obviously that would be amazing,” he says.

“But I just hope all of the Aussies play well this week and I hope that six of us can be there on Sunday proud of one another and have one of us put on the green jacket.”