Sam Bennett: Amateur confident of Masters glory

He is surrounded by major champions and former world No.1s on a leaderboard that has golf fans purring – but Sam Bennett is confident he can upstage them all and win The Masters.  

The 23-year-old US Amateur champion is alone in third place at a weather-impacted Augusta National, a second round 68 vaulting him to eight-under-par for the tournament. That’s only four shots back of leader Brooks Koepka.

World No.3 Jon Rahm is the only other player currently ahead of Bennett, with two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, former world No.1 Jason Day and 2015 Masters champion amongst those playing catch-up.

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Illustrious company, no doubt. But Bennett, bidding to become the first-ever amateur to win the first men’s major of the year, is far from daunted.  

“Everybody coming into the week was, ‘Yeah, hope you get low amateur,’” he said. “I was like, ‘There’s a green jacket on the line.’ I feel like I belong on this stage.  

“I knew my golf was good enough to compete out here. I’ve found myself in a situation that now I’ve got a golf tournament that I can go out and win.” 

A win for Bennett would make him the first debutant to win The Masters since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 and the first amateur to win a major championship since Johnny Goodman won the 1933 US Open.  

His 36-hole score is the lowest by an amateur at Augusta National since Ken Venturi in 1956 and seven shots better than his playing partner, defending champion Scottie Scheffler. 

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A bogey at the fourth on Friday is the only shot he’s dropped so far.  

He has every right to feel confident. Which is just as well, because he is. Very.  

Asked why he thinks he can chase down four-time major champion Koepka and win The Masters, Bennett had only ten words to say. 

“Because I know that my good golf is good enough.” 

Let’s see if he can prove it over the next 36 holes.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor