Sam Bennett becoming a star at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The well-wishers had good intentions when they encouraged Sam Bennett to return from Augusta, Georgia, with the silver cup in hand.

That’s the award given to the low amateur in the Masters. Bennett had higher aspirations, though.

“I’m like, ‘That’s it?’ That’s only seven guys,’” said Bennett, one of seven amateurs in the Masters. “There’s a green jacket on the line.”

Amateurs aren’t supposed to win majors, but Bennett’s play has belied the lowercase ‘a’ next to his name. After back-to-back rounds of 68 at Augusta National, he was alone in second place when he walked off the course. Only four-time major winner Brooks Koepka was ahead of him on the leaderboard.

Bennett was asked why he thinks he could beat Koepka, a man who’s displayed dominance in multiple majors, over the next 36 holes.

“Because I know that my good golf is good enough,” he replied.

The amateur from small-town Texas overcomes his lack of length with an abundance of swagger. Augusta National was co-founded by an amateur, Bobby Jones, who won four U.S. Opens and three Open Championships as an amateur. Nearly a century, Bennett believes he can become the first amateur to win Jones’ tournament.

“I don't have 190 ball speed,” he said. “I don't have a pretty swing like some of the other amateurs. It's golf, not golf swing. I've done the right things this week.”

NCAA champion Gordon Sargent, who displayed his incredible driving distance in practice rounds alongside some of the game’s biggest names, was the amateur who generated the most buzz around Augusta National this week, but Bennett is the only one that will be around for the weekend. And he did it in front of Max Homa and defending champion Scottie Scheffler, his playing partners for the first two rounds.

Bennett beat Homa, the world’s fifth-ranked player, by eight and Scheffler by seven.

Bennett has succeeded thus far with his usual formula of ball control and self-belief. He is averaging 283 yards this week, longer than only a handful of players who aren’t eligible for PGA TOUR Champions. He’s made just one bogey in the first 36 holes, though, and has hit all but two fairways. He’s hit 13 of 18 greens in each of the first two rounds, as well.

Bennett earned his exemption into the Masters by winning last year’s U.S. Amateur, defeating four of the top 15 amateurs in the world en route to hoisting the Havemeyer Trophy. It was at that event that many caught their first glimpse of his confidence. Bennett declared himself the “dog in this race,” saying he was the favorite as he rolled through many of the top names in the amateur game. He trailed only two holes the entire week.

Ken Venturi is the only amateur to shoot a lower 36-hole score at Augusta National than Bennett. Venturi did it in 1956. But while media and patrons were wowed by Sargent’s speed this week, Bennett’s story has evoked different emotions.

He lost his father two years ago after Mark Bennett was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. A tattoo on Sam’s left arm features the last words written by Mark Bennett. “Don’t wait to do something. – Pops,” it reads. Sam sees it every time he addresses his ball.

“I thrive on it,” Sam Bennett said about his tattoo. “I use it for some motivation. I know how happy he would be seeing me out here at Augusta National doing what I'm doing. This week, I've used it to just stay focused and really be locked in to that one shot.”

Now a green jacket remains his only goal.

Read below to learn more about Sam Bennett. Here are five things to know about the U.S. Amateur champ who’s contending at the Masters:

1. AMATEUR HOUR: Bennett earned his spot in the Masters by winning last year’s U.S. Amateur. He won the Havemeyer Trophy at Ridgewood Country Club by beating some of the best amateurs in the world, including four players ranked in the top 15 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking. His performance backed up the bravado that Bennett displayed when he called himself “the dog in this race,” intimating that he was the favorite to take home the trophy. Bennett entered the week ranked No. 3 in the world and is currently ranked No. 6.

“I definitely earned this championship,” said Bennett, who trailed only two holes all week. “Beating anybody in this championship is hard, but to knock off the players I did, that’s a pretty good feat.”

2. SPECIAL STORY: Bennett, who hails from tiny Madisonville, Texas, has overcome adversity to get to this point. His father Mark was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's when he was 45. He declined quickly and didn't get to experience Sam's best moments as an amateur. Still, before fading away Mark told his youngest of three boys, "Don't wait to do something."

Sam asked his mother if they could help Mark write those words down; it took 15 minutes for Mark, with great difficulty, to recreate the message. Sam took those words and got them tattooed on his arm. “DON'T WAIT TO DO SOMETHING – POPS,” it reads. Mark died in June 2021, cared for in his final days by Sam's older brothers. Heartbroken, Sam nevertheless didn't have much time to grieve his father: He was on a plane the next day to represent the U.S. in the Palmer Cup.

“Golf was his escape room,” Sam’s mom, Stacy, told GolfChannel.com. “He could just get out there and lose himself. He knew, if he was living out the dream that he had as a small child, that he could just stay the course and go forward.”

3. MAJOR EXPERIENCE: Bennett has already made the cut in one major, finishing T49 in last year’s U.S. Open. That was a huge stepping stone for Bennett, who’d missed the cut in his first three pro events and had a 76.1 scoring average in those six rounds.

“I could barely get the ball on the tee in the first couple of PGA TOUR events,” he said, referring to his nerves. “Playing the U.S. Open really helped.”

4. BACK ON CAMPUS: Bennett eschewed potential Korn Ferry Tour status to return for a fifth year at Texas A&M. He was No. 1 in PGA TOUR University at the start of 2022 before taking his name out of the rankings because he intended to return to school for a fifth season.

He was named the SEC Golfer of the Year in 2022 and finished 10th in the NCAA Championship. He also was a first-team All-American for the second consecutive year. His 69.97 scoring average broke the school record.

This season, Bennett shared medalist honors at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate with an 18-under 198, including a school-record 61 in the last round. It was Bennett’s fifth collegiate title. He is No. 6 in this season’s PGA TOUR University Ranking.

5. HE’S A GAMER: In addition to his junior golf accolades -- Bennett was runner-up at the 2015 Valero Junior Texas Open and Texas State Junior Championship -- he was an all-around athlete at Madisonville High School. Bennett played tennis, basketball and baseball in addition to golf, and played them well. He was Freshman of the Year in basketball in 2015, and in tennis was District Champion and Doubles Champion in 2016. “He was always an athlete,” his mother, Stacy, told Golf Channel reporter Ryan Lavner. “He had a gift of meekness, but also a gift of power at the same time. You know how everybody roots for the little guy? Sam was always the little guy. Everybody just adopted him. There wasn’t too much he couldn’t do.”