Texas A&M golfer Sam Bennett sets impressive record at The Masters

Sam Bennett, a fifth-year senior at Texas A&M, made some notable history during the first round of The Masters on Thursday. He set a new amateur record.

Bennett shot a 32 on the front nine at Augusta National, setting the record for lowest first-nine score by an amateur in Masters history. That put him at 4-under heading into the back nine of Thursday’s opening round thanks in large part to an eagle on the second hole. He ended up finishing the day with a 4-under 68 as part of a bogey-free round.

Bennett is one of seven amateurs in the field this year after winning the 2022 U.S. Amateur. He defeated Ben Carr in the final round to clinch an invitation to both The Masters and The Open during the 2023 PGA Tour season. Carr is also in the field as an amateur and shot 2-over 38 on the front nine.

At Texas A&M during the fall season, Bennett played in four tournaments and had a 70.73 stroke average in 11 rounds of action. His best round came at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate where he shot a 7-under 65, and he helped Texas A&M to a team title at the Blessing Intercollegiate when he finished fourth individually.

Another amateur had an interesting start to the week at The Masters

Bennett isn’t the only SEC golfer to compete in The Masters this week. Gordon Sargent, a golfer at Vanderbilt and the reigning NCAA champion, is also playing as an amateur — and his week at Augusta got off to an interesting start.

When he tried to find player dining on Monday, Sargent was mistaken for a youth golfer. He arrived around the time of the Drive, Chip and Putt competition, which brings golfers aged 8-15 from around the country to Augusta. Eventually, he got in — but it wasn’t easy.

“It starts off yesterday, I tried to go into the pro shop to ask them what time I could play tomorrow,” Sargent said on the “Back of the Range” podcast. “I’m like, ‘Look, I’m a player, I have my caddie right here.’ The guy’s, like, ‘No, you’re going to have to have your badge.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, whatever.’

“So then I’m like, ‘Can you just get someone from the pro shop to come out here.’ And of course they come out, and they’re like, ‘Oh, hey Gordon,’ and the security guards are there kind of like, whatever, you know.”

Eventually, Sargent got in, and he struggled early on in his opening round. He shot a 3-over 39 on his front nine, and had a double bogey on the 11th hole to start the tournament.