Texas A&M 2023 Masters Tournament Tracker: Sam Bennett Finishes T17
The 87th Masters Tournament tees off on Thursday from the Augusta National Golf Club as the first major tournament of the season is upon us.
The Aggies are represented by Cameron Champ and Sam Bennett as Bennett is the first Aggie to play in the tournament while still on the A&M golf team. Champ, who played for A&M from 2014 to 2017, earned a spot in the field by finishing in the top 12 of last year's tournament, while Bennett is playing by virtue of his win at the 122nd United States Amateur Championship last August.
Aggies coach Brian Kortan will serve as Bennett's caddie.
Champ tees off at 10:06 a.m. CT on Thursday while Bennett has a 12:36 p.m. start time.
*Most recent updates are at the bottom of the page*
APRIL 6, FIRST ROUND 1:43 PM UPDATE:
Champ started with some difficulty after a par on the No. 1 par 4. Champ carded five consecutive bogies on holes No. 2 through No. 6 for a score of 5-over. He was able to recover with six pars in a row before a birdie on the par 5 No. 13. Champ's total through 13 is 4-over.
Bennett, on the other hand, started strong. Intimidation apparently isn't in Bennett's vocabulary as he's playing with the No.1 and No. 5 players in the world in his group, yet carded a birdie on No. 1 and an eagle on No. 2 to begin his day at 3-under.
He's played consistently, recording two pars on Nos. 3 and 4 to remain at 3-under on the day.
Viktor Hovland leads all players at 7-under through 16, as Xander Shauffele and Adam Scott are two strokes behind at 5 under. Shauffele has played through 16 while Scott has played through 15.
APRIL 6, FIRST ROUND 2:30 PM UPDATE:
After his slow start, Cameron Champ has remained steady, finding his way back to just 2-over par. Champ had a string of five straight bogeys on holes 2 through 6 but settled down nicely at 2-over through 16 holes.
Sam Bennett, the amateur finds himself at 4-under par after birdies at holes 1 and 6 and an eagle at No. 2.
Viktor Hovland leads at 7-under and is finished for the day. Jon Rahm is at 6-under after recovering from a four-putt double-bogey on his first hole of the tournament.
APRIL 6, FIRST ROUND 4:20 PM UPDATE:
Champ finished his round today at 4-over par after carding two bogeys to close his round on 17 and 18.
Bennett remains hot and still steady at 4-under on the day. Bennett has remained bogey-free and has carded seven pars in a row after a birdie on the par 3 6th hole.
The leaders remain Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and Viktor Hovland, who are all in the clubhouse enjoying a cold beverage after a hot and humid day at Augusta.
APRIL 6, FIRST ROUND 5:10 PM UPDATE:
Sam Bennett continues his par streak on the par 3 16th after what can only be considered a par save after a 10-foot par put. Bennett hit a great tee shot to about 20 feet from the hole but misread the speed on his first putt and blew it past the hole.
Bennett remains seven shots in front for the amateur lead over Australian Harrison Crowe.
APRIL 6, FIRST ROUND 5:40 PM UPDATE:
Bennett equals the round of the defending champion with whom he's paired, Scottie Scheffler, with a 68. Just a fantastic start to the weekend for Bennett as the weather will be changing for everyone beginning tomorrow through the weekend.
We'll pick things back up tomorrow after Champ and Bennett have teed off.
APRIL 7, SECOND ROUND 2:10 PM UPDATE:
Cam Champ improved his Round 1 score of 76 with a Round 2 score of 74, but it won't be enough to come in under the projected cut of +2 right now. Champ is a total of 6-over par for the tournament and most likely will not be playing over the weekend.
Sam Bennett, however, has been the star of the show thus far, not just leading all amateurs, but placing No. 2 overall behind only the leader, Brooks Koepka, after two rounds completed.
Bennett stands at 8-under through 36 holes after carding a 4-under 68 on Friday, matching his 68 from Thursday.
We'll update Bennett's round closely on Saturday as inclement weather moves in. We expect several delays in play over the weekend.
APRIL 8, SECOND ROUND COMPLETION 9:25 AM UPDATE:
As the second round nears completion after a lengthy Friday weather delay, Jon Rahm has pulled himself almost even with leader Brooks Koepka. Koepka finished Round 2 at 12-under as Rahm plays in the rain on Saturday morning to complete his round. Rahm sits at 11-under as he plays 18.
The third round will commence immediately following the completion of the third round.
APRIL 8, THIRD ROUND 3:00 UPDATE :
Sam Bennett sits in third place at 6-under through six holes in the third round as play is once again suspended due to inclement weather.
Bennett bogeyed the first two holes of his round on Saturday to drop two shots from 8-under to 6-under. But he recovered nicely with four straight pars.
Brooks Kopeka remains on top of the field at 13-under through six holes on Saturday while Jon Rahm has sole possession of second place at 9-under, also through six holes.
Koepka, Rahm, and Bennett are the final group of the day as play is suspended.
APRIL 9 UPDATE: TIGER WITHDRAWS
Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the Masters due to injury.
Woods, who is playing in his first Masters since returning from his horrific car crash, managed to make the cut after Round 2 for the 23rd consecutive time - tying an all-time record.
However, during play on Saturday, Woods was in noticeable discomfort and limping throughout the round.
Meanwhile, through eight holes in Round 3, Aggie Sam Bennett is 2-over par, on the day and 6-under on the tournament, holding a one-shot edge over Colin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay.
APRIL 9, FINAL ROUND PAIRINGS:
It has been a strong Masters debut for Sam Bennett, as he's hung around in contention throughout the weekend. A shaky third round, however, saw him drop down the leaderboard just a bit as he carded five bogeys.
Bennett now enters the final round sitting at 4-under and finds himself at T-7 on the scoreboard, but still within striking distance of Brooks Koepka who leads the way at 11-under. He will tee off his final round 1:05 p.m. CT and is paired with Collin Morikawa.
APRIL 9, FINAL ROUND 5:38 PM UPDATE:
Sam Bennett is currently tied for 16th at 3-under, and even on the day. He's trying feverishly to get to at least a tie for no worse than 12th, which would give him an automatic invitation to the 88th Masters Tournament next year.
FINAL UPDATE, FINAL ROUND:
Bennett finished with a disappointing bogey on the par 4 18th hole to drop him back into a tie for 17th position in his first Masters Tournament. But he held his head high walking off the final green to the cheers from the patrons who appreciated his historic performance.
His 68-68 over the first two days were followed by rounds of 76-74 for a total of 286. Inclement weather and less-than-ideal playing conditions increased scores for just about everyone over the weekend and Bennett was no exception.
Bennett - as an amateur - receives no prize money for his efforts over the past four days, but has quickly become a fan favorite as golf fans can't wait to cheer for him weekly on the PGA Tour when that time comes.
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