Who’s Invited to the Crow’s Nest? Meet the 7 Amateurs Competing in the 2023 Masters

Author:
Gabrielle Herzig
Publish date:
Mar 29, 2023

All eyes are on the race for the green jacket at the Masters, but during the first major championship of the year, there’s always another title up for grabs: low amateur. Seven amateurs have received invitations to Augusta National this year, and if they make the 36-hole cut, the quest for the Silver Cup is on.

No amateur has ever won the Masters, but the traditions surrounding the invitees are plentiful. Bobby Jones—golf’s most famous life-long amateur—founded Augusta National with Clifford Roberts in 1932. Every Monday night of Masters week, the club hosts an Amateur Dinner to welcome the young talent. Then, amateurs are invited to spend a night in the exclusive Crow’s Nest, a living space on the third floor of Augusta’s clubhouse that has hosted legends of the game throughout its history.

Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw are just some of the players who have slept in one of the five single beds in the Crow’s Nest—and they have all gone on to win the tournament as professionals. These days, each amateur will stay at least one night in the simple, historic accommodations to check the experience off their bucket list.

Meet the seven amateurs who will have the opportunity to relish those Masters traditions.

Sam Bennett

This summer, Sam Bennett earned an invitation to the Masters by winning the U.S. Amateur. Knocking out some of the strongest match play competitors in the field—including 2017 Masters low amateur Stewart Hagestad—Bennett’s fearless performance at Ridgewood Country Club solidified his position as a top amateur in the world. Bennett is currently ranked No. 6 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and fourth in the PGA Tour University Rankings. The Texas A&M fifth-year senior is in sharp form heading into his first time teeing it up at Augusta National. Last month, the 22-year-old fired off a final round 11-under 61—an Aggie record—to claim co-medalist honors at the John Burns Intercollegiate. Bennett might have grown up playing golf on a run-down nine-hole course in the tiny town of Madisonville, Texas, but his home-grown swing holds up against the best.

Ben Carr

Ben Carr lost to Sam Bennett in the finals of the U.S. Amateur, but by reaching the championship match at the prestigious event, the Georgia Southern fifth-year senior punched his ticket to Augusta National. After his thrilling semifinals victory over UNC star Dylan Menante, Carr captivated fans with an emotional interview. Carr told the story of a special ball marker that honors his late father, David, who passed away suddenly in 2019, and the item turned out to be his good luck charm for the pivotal match. Carr is in prime shape heading in Augusta as well. Just a few weeks ago, the 22-year-old won Georgia Southern’s home tournament, the Schenkel Invitational, leading the team to victory and capturing his fourth collegiate win.

Gordon Sargent

For the first time since 2019, Augusta National extended two special invitations, one of which went to the 2022 D-I NCAA individual champion, Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt University. Sargent, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, is also the first amateur to accept a special invitation to the Masters since Aaron Baddeley in 2000. With his consequential NCAA victory, Sargent, 19, became the first freshman to win the individual title since 2007. The Birmingham, Ala., native has put together an incredible sophomore season thus far, securing a seven-shot win at the John Hayt Invitational and four top-10 finishes in the new year. Sargent has finished inside the top eight in 15 consecutive NCAA events.

Aldrich Potgieter

Since he won the 2022 British Amateur Championship, South Africa’s Aldrich Potgieter has stood out as one of golf’s youngest promising stars. Potgieter, 18, resisted a bold comeback from his championship match opponent, Sam Bairstow, to punch his ticket to the Masters, as well the British Open and the U.S. Open. He was the second youngest champion in the 127-year-old history of the tournament. The curly-haired teenager also just claimed a record-setting victory at one of the most prestigious junior golf events in the world. Potgieter won last month’s Junior Invitational at Sage Valley by 10 shots, the largest margin in tournament history. He also defeated Sam Bennett in the Georgia Cup, an annual tune-up match between the British Amateur and U.S. Amateur champions.

Harrison Crowe

Harrison Crowe secured his invitation to the 2023 Masters by edging out Oklahoma State standout Bo Jin in the final round of the Asia-Pacific Amateur at Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok. Crowe beat Jin by just one shot and became just the third Australian to win the championship, along with Curtis Luck and Antonio Murdaca. Before the victory, Crowe was planning on turning professional, but he decided to delay that process to reap the benefits of his Asia-Pacific Amateur victory. Crowe will compete in the British Open and the British Amateur Championship following his appearance at the Masters. He’s currently ranked 33rd in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira

Argentina’s Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira barely missed out on the chance to compete for a Masters invitation at the 2022 Latin America Amateur Championship, but in 2023 he finally got it done. The 22-year-old won the LAAC by four shots with a four-round total of 265—breaking Joaquin Niemann’s record of 273. In addition to the Masters, the University of Arkansas senior will play in the British Open and the U.S. Open (a new exemption). Fernandez de Oliveira is currently ranked 25th in the world and in 2022, he became the first player from Argentina selected to the Arnold Palmer Cup.

Matthew McClean

Hailing from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Matthew McClean earned a spot in the Masters after he won the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Erin Hills. McClean is 29, the oldest amateur in the field, and works as an optometrist when he’s not playing golf. The U.S. Mid Am victory put McClean’s name next to Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell as the only Irish golfers to have won a USGA championship.