Amateur Sam Bennett won a host of admirers for his performance at The Masters. The 23-year-old was in contention towards the top of the leaderboard for much of the tournament before his challenge faded during the third and fourth rounds.
Despite that, he still finished an admirable tie for 16th to claim the Silver Cup for finishing as low amateur. That performance also saw him finish ahead of the likes of established stars including World No.5 Cameron Smith, 2020 champion Dustin Johnson and four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut.
Even though he arrived on the world stage in such impressive fashion, though, the Texan faces a rapid turnaround following his Augusta National debut and is set to play 36 holes the day after in the Aggie Invitational – where he will also be carrying his own bag!
The tournament sees Texas A&M’s men’s golf team host at the Traditions Club in the city of Bryan. Bennett won the title in 2021 and will be looking to repeat that feat, but it will surely still seem a long way from his incredible exploits in Georgia.
After completing his final round to finish three under at the Masters, Bennett explained he was likely to compete in his university's tournament in his home state on Monday, despite a gruelling four days in the Major.
He said: “I definitely need some time to decompress. Yeah, I don't know, it was a great week, and I'm looking forward to getting back and looking back on the memories I made. Yeah, it's it might be a 36-hole day grind tomorrow, so we'll see. I still haven't made my decision. I think I'm going to play.”
Sure enough, footage later emerged of Bennett receiving a hero’s welcome on his return to his university.
While, there is barely any time for Bennett to absorb his achievements over the last few days, he admitted the experience of playing at The Masters was the experience of a lifetime.
He said: “It was incredible. Just getting the opportunity to play Augusta was a dream come true, and then getting to see it on Sunday coming down the back nine, walking up 18 was by far the coolest experience of my life. The patrons were great all week, supportive, people back home. The Masters and Augusta was everything I ever dreamed of.”
Following the tournament, which saw Jon Rahm claim his first Green Jacket, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley also acknowledged Bennett's achievement, saying: "We were so proud of all of our seven amateurs who played this week, and congratulations to Sam on his low amateur finish."
