Sam Bennett not concerned with amateur records, 'locked in' at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Sam Bennett knows who Ken Venturi is. But when pressed by a local TV reporter if the Texas A&M senior was thinking about Venturi’s Masters amateur record of 66, Bennett quashed the guy’s storyline.

“I wasn’t thinking of any record,” said Bennett, who opened his Masters debut with a bogey-free, 4-under 68. “I was just trying to stack golf shots and give myself some looks and keep it under the hole, which I did.”

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The reporter tried again, noting that Bennett did, in fact, tie the front-nine record for an amateur (32), matching Venturi, Matt Kuchar and Ben Crenshaw.

Responded Bennett: “That’s cool, I guess.”

The 23-year-old Bennett usually isn’t concerned with ancillary things like records. His uniqueness goes beyond just his homemade golf swing, which has produced a U.S. Amateur victory and countless club-twirl-worthy swings.

He spurned a Korn Ferry Tour card last summer to return to Aggieland for a fifth year. He declined a few PGA Tour exemptions – every invite but the Masters – this season so he wouldn’t miss a college tournament.

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And as the golf world was busy lauding Vanderbilt sophomore Gordon Sargent and his super speed, Bennett quietly went about his business all week. He beat Sargent by nine shots on Thursday.

Like Sargent, Bennett birdied the first hole, canning a 19-footer. That’s when the two rounds, played a handful of groups apart, went vastly different directions. While Sargent chunked or skulled three straight chips between Nos. 2 and 3, Bennett chipped in for eagle from 23 yards at the par-5 second. A few holes later, Bennett rolled in a 23-footer at the par-3 sixth, his last birdie of the day. He closed with 12 straight pars.

“There's very few things that I like more than playing a round of golf bogey-free,” Bennett said. “…That was by far the most locked in, focused I've been at a golf tournament.”

There are seven total amateurs in the field this year, and Bennett is seven shots clear of the closest one, Harrison Crowe. Bennett was the odd man out, however, on Monday night following the Amateur Dinner. He thought he had signed up to stay in the Crow’s Nest, but with only five beds and six amateurs thinking they were spending the night, Bennett was upgraded to a nearby suite overlooking the 18th green.

“I wish Mr. Williams let me stay there all week,” Bennett said, laughing.

There will be no night in the Crow’s Nest for Bennett. But the Silver Cup trophy as low amateur would likely make up for the missed opportunity.

That’s a spot in the record books that will grab Bennett’s attention.