Sam Bennett Set To Play 36 Holes In Tournament A Day After Winning Low Masters Amateur
It's back down to earth for the Masters low amateur as he's set to compete in the Aggie Invitational in Texas
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.
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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."
Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
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