Matteo Manassero found himself in a hazardous place among the pine needles behind the second green at the Golf Club of Georgia. His predicament raised a couple of questions: Are there pine trees in Italy? Could he play under pressure, as well as under pine trees? His coach, Alberto Binaghi , smiled and said: 'He has done this before, yes, from pine needles. He likes to play under this pressure.' Sure enough, Manassero, a 16-year-old from Italy who is set to become the youngest player to compete in the Masters, looked the part of the seasoned player with his next swipe of the iron. He flipped the ball to the green, and it stuck there. He then rolled in a 35-foot putt on a razor-cut surface that was smoking fast, stimping a Masters-like 13 1/2 feet, and had himself a nifty par. Manassero walked to the third tee, acting as if he had been to the edge of a disastrous hole before and recovered. 'Absolutely, this is unusual, he does not act like he is 16,' said Edoardo Molinari, an Italian professional who was in the gallery last week when Manassero played the U.S. Amateur champion Byeong-Hun An, 18, in the Georgia Cup. 'This is why he is good at 16 -- the mental part,' Molinari said. Manassero has chipped out of pine needles, but he has also played in the swelter of Dubai, the wind of Scotland and the humidity of Florida. He has smacked golf balls across France and Spain. The top-ranked amateur in the world, he has skipped from time zone to time zone and custom to custom. He knows what it is like to get off a jet and play golf. Compared with Manassero, who is from Verona, in northern Italy, junior golfers in the United States take modest trips. This may explain how Manassero can play with such aplomb and does not seem unnerved by playing in the Masters, which begins Thursday. Manassero seems more thrilled than daunted by Augusta National. 'I will go play the best I can but will not be nervous,' he said. 'I have nothing to lose. And I will gain experience. I will have no expectations.' If Manassero stays on his present arc, expectations will shadow him soon enough. He won the British Amateur title in 2009, becoming the youngest to win that event. And he finished in a tie for 13th at the 2009 British Open, where he was paired with Tom Watson for two rounds. The essence of Manassero is that he does not create hurdles for himself. He measures each shot. He stands over the ball and hits it, and he usually keeps it in play. He does not have any theatrics about him, no boyish antics. He will not turn 17 until April 19 and already, Manassero fits easily among professionals. 'He has a very efficient golf swing, his positions are very good in his golf swing and he plays uncomplicated at golf -- it's pretty simple,' Watson said. 'When he was playing with me, he didn't make very many mistakes at all in the 36 holes. He was very, very accurate.' Watson, 60, paused and considered the bridge he had built with a player 44 years younger. He did not know that Manassero cried when Watson lost the British Open playoff to Stewart Cink, but Watson understood that they had made a connection. 'It was like a father to a son, but it was more than that -- it was an old competitor versus a brand-new competitor,' said Watson, who will play a practice round Monday at Augusta with Manassero. 'To watch somebody that new play reminded me of my youth. There was some sentimentality to it.' Manassero has a passion for the sport that goes beyond how he strikes the ball. His idol growing up was Seve Ballesteros, the Spanish legend. Manassero was 4 when he met Ballesteros and practiced putting with him. He said Ballesteros had a style and grace and intuition about the game that he has tried to emulate. 'Everything has happened very quick,' said Manassero, who is 6 feet 1 inch. 'I never thought I could be here playing such big events when I am 16.' Manassero's English is remarkable considering that two years ago, he was fluent only in Italian. He took some courses, but he has mostly picked up the language through interaction with others. The only time Manassero had trouble with comprehension in the Georgia Cup match was when one of the marshal's held up a sign that read, 'Hush.' 'What does this mean, hush?' Manassero said. When he was told, he grinned and said, 'Ah, yes, quiet.' Language has not been a barrier off the course and age has not been one on it. The slick greens of the Creekside Course at the Golf Club of Georgia gave Manassero plenty of opportunity to test his poise, and he held himself together for a 5-and-4 match-play victory over An. 'I have learned not to be nervous after my bad shots,' Manassero said. 'That is what I really learned from Mr. Tom Watson, to be patient after a not so good shot. His patience on the golf course was impressive.' The Masters may show how far Manassero has to go, or just how close he is to being a steady contender when he turns pro after the tournament. He hits the ball like a laser on a line, but Augusta demands some loft and a softer splashdown on tricky greens. 'His short game is very good,' Molinari said. 'His game is not quite long enough yet, but he is very young still. It is going to be difficult for him next week at the Masters because it is a long course, but he is playing well.' How good can Manassero become? Watson would not be definitive, but he gave a hint. 'I can't predict how good he will be, but the snapshot right now looks really good,' he said. 