Who is amateur player Sam Bennett contending for the Masters?
Know all about the US Amateur golfer Sam Bennett who is performing phenomenally at The Masters 2023.
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Image via Golf Digest
Sam Bennett, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, is currently doing wonders at the Masters 2023 tournament. He shot a bogey-free, 4-under-68 on the starting day of the tournament and followed with a 4-under-68 on Friday. His 36-hole score of 136 is the lowest ever recorded by an amateur at the Masters, since Ken Venturi’s record in 1956.
Bennett, at the age of 23, is one of the youngest to compete at Augusta, Georgia. He is currently a fifth-year senior at the Texas A&M University and a native of Texas. Playing with the likes of some of the elites of the sport, Bennett has definitely taken the sport by storm with his golfing abilities.
On the second day of the Masters, i.e., on April 7, Bennett was in second place, just four strokes behind Brooks Koepka. Till date, no amateur golfer has ever won the Green Jacket in the history of the fabled tournament at the Augusta National.
However, with Bennett threatening the to conquer the tournament even in the aggressive weather at Georgia, will he be able to make history as the first amateur green jacket holder? That’s for the golf fans to find out at the end of The Masters 2023.
Sam Bennett’s amateur golf career
Sam Bennett has an amazing amateur golf career to back his claim on the Green Jacket this year. Enrolled at the Texas A&M since 2018. he hearned All-American honors as a junior and represented the American team at the 2021 Arnold Palmer Cup. He has also been the SEC Player of the Year as a senior in 2022 and was also a finalist for the Fred Haskins Award.
Perhaps, Bennett’s biggest achievement was to advance to the US Amateur in August 2022 and winning the tournament, making him the first US Amateur champion in Texas A&M’s history. This win guaranteed him a place at the Masters 2023 and the 2023 Open Championship.
What are the chances of Sam Bennett winning the Green Jacket at Augusta National?
Sam Bennett’s claim that he can win the masters is testament to how confident he is as a player. In his Masters debut, the Texas native is taking the field by a storm, even ranking second with just four strokes behind Brooks Koepka. Sharing the field with golfing elites such as Phil Mickelson and Fred Couples, Bennett is very much confident that he has the ability to win the first Green Jacket as an amateur.
Bennett’s father, who passed away in 2021, had some inspiring last words to keep his golfer son motivated through his career. In Bennett’s left forearm, he has tattooed his father’s last words in his handwriting, which says, “Don’t wait to do something.”
Sam Bennett is playing in a group with defending champion Scottie Scheffler and against the likes of Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, and Jon Rahm amongst others. When asked about if he could catch up to Koepka, he says, “Because I know that my good golf is good enough.”
Even if Sam Bennett wins the coveted Masters tournament as an amateur, unfortunately, he would not be eligible for winning the massive prize purse that comes alongside the Green Jacket. However, while he might not be able to earn at Augusta, the NIL deals for NCAA athletes will allow him to earn seven figures using his likeness and image rights.
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Siddid Dey Purkayastha
(528 Articles Published)