Professional amateur Sam Bennett received a big welcome upon arriving at Texas A&M on a private jet from Augusta – and he’s set to play another 36 holes today in a collegiate competition!
It’s been a memorable week for American golf aficionado Sam Bennett, and he was greeted by heroes upon his return to Texas A&M after finishing a tied 16th at The Masters in Augusta.
The 23-year-old was one of the standout stories of the week as he shocked the world to put himself in contention for a big win, sitting in third place heading into the weekend.
He fell on Saturday and Sunday to finish 16th overall, but it was still an impressive feat for an inexperienced player, and he was welcomed back to Texas with open arms on Monday morning.
In a clip posted to Instagram, Bennett was greeted with fists and a loud round of applause as he entered the airport terminal after a whirlwind week in Georgia.
Incredibly, after a private jet landed in the Astin Aviation building, it was reported that Bennett is scheduled to play in the university’s Aggie Invitational in Bryan, Texas, where players are scheduled to play a grueling 36-hole game on Monday.
Sam Bennett returned to Texas wearing a Masters jacket after a stellar week in Augusta
That was followed by another 18 on Tuesday, with players bagging their own bags – a far cry from the scenes at Augusta National for The Masters.
When asked about a tournament after his last outing in Augusta, Bennett said, “I don’t have a lot of college championships left, so I would love to play in a home event.
“I went back to school to be with my team and do that, so I guess I want to play.”
His Sunday evening in Augusta ended up sharing 16th place with Tom Kim, Songjae Im, Joaquin Nyman, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Hideki Matsuyama…but unlike them, he didn’t take home the $261,000 prize money.
Bennett’s amateur status roughly meant that he was unable to earn any money from golf yet, and would have to wait until he turned professional before he could start earning.
American Amateur Champion Sam Bennett holds the Lowest Scoring Amateur Silver Cup
Bennett draws inspiration from his late father, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 53 from Alzheimer’s disease.
Bennett, 23, has his father’s words of advice for inspiration tattooed on his left wrist.
After his ghost-free run on day one, Bennett revealed how his late father inspired him to one of the greatest events in the sporting calendar.
Mark Bennett passed away in 2021 at the age of 53 due to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The last thing he wrote was advice to his son in June 2020 during a sensitive moment at his family’s home in Texas: “Don’t wait to do something.”
And the younger Bennett lived those words to the full when he lined up alongside former Masters champion Scotty Scheffler and matched him throughout the tournament with four players under the age of 68.
Bennett tattooed these words above his left wrist, just as his father wrote them.
