Sam

Bennett

The 23-year-old missed the cut last week at the Travelers but didn’t let that ruin his confidence. “I mean, last week I played solid, it was a putting contest and unfortunately I didn’t make any putts.” He certainly made the putts today, gaining 2.7 strokes putting by round’s end. After the round, Bennett spoke on getting stronger to build his stamina, “I just need some more experience playing the weekends. I’ve been doing a better job at resting my body. Some of the bad scores on the weekends have been from my body just giving out. Hopefully in the offseason I can do some work to get my legs a little stronger.”

Bennett recently turned pro at the Memorial but he already sports the confidence of a veteran. “I’m comfortable. There’s no nerves. I feel like I belong. " Bennett traded six birdies with one bogey before dropping back-to-back shots to end his day. He’s quickly established himself as a top-tier driver but got the job done with his irons today (+2.7 SG:Approach). The 23-year-old looks like he is here to stay and may be a frequent contender this summer.

The Texas A&M product split 8-of-14 fairways (T53) and landed 12 GIR (T17). It was a steady day striking and steady but not spectacular day putting (+0.56 SGP). “I made a few good sand saves out of the bunker and I just played the par-5s good. Then when I got out of position I just took my bogey and moved on.” Bennett will play a busy schedule this summer in hopes of playing his way into a PGA TOUR card but he did already earn full status for the Korn Ferry Tour via the PGA TOUR University ranking so he does have that to lean back on.

Bennett made a big splash at the Masters, posting Low Am honors with a T16 finish. He was inside of the top 10 after three of the four rounds which had to have filled his confidence before heading back to finish his career at Texas A&M. “That was a great experience. I wasn’t nervous. I really wasn’t. Like I said, I’m experienced, but it definitely helped to see what those guys do daily. I just learned that I need to play my game and my good golf’s good enough to compete.” The 2022 U.S. Am winner ended up finishing 5th on the PGA TOUR University Ranking which give him full status on the Korn Ferry Tour. He would love to skip the feeder tour altogether which would require a few big finishes over the summer.

The Texas A&M product was one of just six amateurs in the field this week but Bennett was the only way to play their way through the 36-hole cut. So, he had the Low Am honors locked up but still had plenty to play for. A top-12 finish would have earned him an invite to next year’s Masters but he fell two shots shy of that number. “I was tired this weekend. I think that’s what it was. My body wasn’t moving how it should be. That’s why I had the driver slotted the first two rounds, and then my legs kind of gave out. It wasn’t turning and started missing them left. Bennett appears to have a bright future ahead of him.

The U.S. Amateur champion will be the only one among the seven to make the cut at Augusta National. Thus, Bennett will be in Butler Cabin upon the conclusion of play. But could he pick up more than a small trophy? A green jacket, perhaps? The 23-year-old shot his second consecutive 68 on Friday to reach 8-under-par 136, one shot higher than Ken Venturi’s Masters amateur record, set in 1956. Bennett is four back of leader Brooks Koepka. An amateur has never won the Masters, the closest being Venturi, when he was runner-up in ’56. Frank Stranahan (1947) and Charlie Coe (1961) tied for second.

The Texas A&M product missed just one fairway today and peppered 13 GIR. Those numbers were steady enough and then his short game also caught fire. He gained 1.4 strokes around-the-green and another 2.3 strokes putting. “I couldn’t have dreamed of a better start. Hit a lot of good shots, give myself some looks, kept it under the hole. Bogey-free, that’s something I love probably the most out of everything. To go around this place bogey-free is pretty cool.” He’s tied for sixth place at the end of day one.