AUGUSTA, GA. – Sam Bennett didn't like it when well-wishers told him he might shoot the lowest score of any amateur at the Masters. He thought he could win the whole tournament.
While complimentary of Augusta National Golf Club, he isn't that impressed with its difficulty, saying that Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, where he won the U.S. Amateur, is tougher.
The Texas A&M senior doesn't mind, as an amateur, missing out on a potentially big payday this week, saying "NIL has been pretty good this year."
On Friday, the blunt and confident Bennett shot a 68 for the second consecutive round. After play was suspended in the afternoon because of threatening weather, he was in third place, as the only amateur on the leaderboard.
"I knew my golf was good enough to compete out here," he said. "I found myself in a situation that now I've got a golf tournament that I can go out and win."
Bennett's story is as compelling as his skills. His father died in 2021 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's. His advice to his son — "Don't wait to do something" — is tattooed on the inside of Sam's left forearm. He looks at the tattoo before every swing.
On his bag this week is his college coach, Brian Kortan. "There's an 'A' by Sam's name,' " Kortan said Friday afternoon. "But it won't be there much longer.
"He's been really tidy out there. Stacking good shots together and being tidy."
