Sam Bennett is one of seven Masters amateurs in the field for this week’s tournament, and the American, who qualified for the Major as US Amateur champion, could barely have embraced the occasion more impressively.
In the first round, Bennett held his nerve to finish on four-under and tied for sixth with a host of household names, including champion and World No.1 Scottie Scheffler. He continued where he left off in the second round, too, with another strong performance that saw him on eight-under going into the weekend.
The Texan draws on a poignant and permanent source of inspiration while on the course, which could help explain his incredible performance.
Bennett’s dad Mark passed away aged just 53 in 2021 due to early-onset Alzheimer’s. The year before that, though, he had some words of advice for his son, and they now adorn the inside of Sam’s left arm as a tattoo. In the style of his father’s handwriting, the advice reads: “Don’t wait to do something”.
Before making a name for himself at Augusta National, Bennett also played in the 2021 Valero Texas Open, and it was there that he opened up about why he got the tattoo and how much the words mean to him.
He said: “Last summer, me and mom were doing yard work. Dad was out there and, I’ve been struggling with some stuff mentally, and this was when my dad can still… we can still kind of have a conversation when he could still talk and it was the last piece of advice. He was like: 'Don’t wait to do something'. That kind of stuck with me.“
"Don't wait to do something."Sam Bennett's late father gives him inspiration before every single shot.Today, he made history. pic.twitter.com/hhEFZFGv9nApril 6, 2023
I was in Dallas in a golf tournament for, I think, the Southern Am. I was like, I’m going to get this tattoo. He wrote it out, it took him like 15 minutes to write it and it was probably the hardest thing he’s probably had to do in his handwriting.“
Bennett was again asked about the tattoo following his second-round this week. He said: "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. You know, this week, I've used it to just stay focused and really be locked in to that one shot."
The 23-year-old then turned his attention to the relationship he had with his dad, saying: "He never cared about golf score or anything as long as I'm - he could care less if I went out there and shot 80 as long as I was doing the right things and treating people the right way and being a real gentleman.
"He would think this would be cool with what I have to come in the weekend. But more so than anything, the guy that I've become he would be appreciative of."
As for how Bennett is approaching surely the biggest weekend of his life, he insists he's staying calm. He said: I'm calm right now, and I'm calm when I'm on the course. Geez, I'm playing Augusta National, it can't get any better."
As the rest of The Masters unfolds, we wait to see if Bennett can maintain his momentum. Regardless, though, considering the way he has embraced his chance in one of the greatest tournaments of all, it’s safe to say that, whatever happens, he’s following his dad’s advice to the letter.
