MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 6, 2023

Sam Bennett

Quick Quotes

Q. What was it like stepping to the 1st tee and you walk off something?

SAM BENNETT: I couldn't have dreamed of a better start. Got out of the gates hot and then made a good one on 6, and from 6 on played steady golf. Hit a lot of good shots, give myself some looks, kept it under the hole. Bogey-free, that's something I love probably the most out of everything. To go around this place bogey-free is pretty cool.

Q. Do you know who Ken Venturi is?

SAM BENNETT: A little bit. I know the name.

Q. Ken Venturi holds the lowest round for an amateur at 66, and you challenged that. Were you aware of how well you were playing and that record was in reach?

SAM BENNETT: No, I wasn't thinking of any record. I was just trying to stack shots and give myself some looks and keep it under the hole, which I did.

Q. You did tie a record for the front nine with the 32 with seven other guys, including Venturi, Matt Kuchar, and another guy from Texas, Ben Crenshaw. So your name's in the record books for that one.

SAM BENNETT: That's cool, I guess.

Q. How about having your coach on your bag? Did he help you out with any reads?

SAM BENNETT: For sure. Coach, all credit to him with the Am and college and anything he's done. He helped me get around this place good. We were smart, dialed in with our numbers, knew where we wanted to be.

I had a lot of stress-free pars, which is what you want around this place.

Q. It's got to be nerve-racking to step up to the 1st tee as an amateur for the first time here and you're playing with the reigning champion. Talk about that experience as they called your name to the tee.

SAM BENNETT: It was a long wait. This morning I was anxious. I was fiddling around. I couldn't really sit still. I was ready to get off that box.

I just enjoy it. That's where I want to be, to be able to hit those shots with the crowds and the pressure. I loved it. Like I've said multiple times, I'm experienced. I feel like I'm ready for this stage. I haven't played my best in college golf, but when the pressure is on, I tend to play pretty well.

Q. We know you lost your dad and he's really important to you. Talk about the message you have on your forearm and how you carried him with you today.

SAM BENNETT: I think I've talked about that enough.

Q. Do you mind just showing the forearm?

SAM BENNETT: Yeah, it was cool walking up 17 and 18. It was kind of gloomy all day, and then on 17 it was probably the prettiest view looking up that fairway, and 18 as well through the chute, the sun was shining. So I just wanted to make two more good swings, which I did.

Q. Did you feel like he was with you today?

SAM BENNETT: I mean, yeah, he's always with me.

Q. Sam, we spoke earlier this week about trying to find a way to get your swagger here at Augusta National. You had it at the U.S. Amateur last summer. Obviously birdie, eagle helps your scorecard tremendously. But how much did it help you kind of get the chest out and the chin up as you were walking down?

SAM BENNETT: For sure, that was huge. I had all these bad thoughts, what if I bogey the 1st or double, and then I rolled in a putt, and I was able to chip in on 3. That really settled me down. Got off to a hot start, and I was able to keep it going with some steady golf.

Q. What do you think was the best shot you hit out there today?

SAM BENNETT: On 17, I flushed an 8-iron. It was pretty solid, 20 feet. People don't realize how good of a shot that is to that green from 170.

I didn't hit any just outstanding ones, but I was just stacking shots all day, I felt. I probably -- no, wait. Maybe the chip shot, the up-and-down on 12, that was huge.

Q. Gordon obviously had a lot of attention earlier this week playing alongside Rory. Did you feel a little bit maybe under the radar as the U.S. Amateur champ these past few days, and did that fuel you at all?

SAM BENNETT: I don't care who I play with. I've seen him play. I've got my work done. That's all that matters.

Q. Lastly from me, Monday night, five beds in the Crow's Nest, six of you guys wanting to stay. Could you tell the story about how you got upgraded.

SAM BENNETT: I wish Mr. Williams let me stay there all week. Yeah, I guess I didn't put my name down, and there's only five beds. I was kind of the one left out.

They hooked me up with -- I think it was Mr. Williams' suite. It was overlooking the 18th green. Yeah, it was an upgrade.

Q. You had the basketball game on too?

SAM BENNETT: Yeah, we were all watching it.

Q. Did you get to stay in the Crow's Nest after that?

SAM BENNETT: No, I didn't. I saw it, though.

Q. Are you going to try to do it later this week?

SAM BENNETT: No. Me and coach are chilling at our house.

Q. You're good now, right?

SAM BENNETT: Yeah, we're all good.

Q. On 18, how important was it just to keep that bogey-free?

SAM BENNETT: For sure. There's very few things that I like more than playing a round of golf bogey-free. To make that four-footer for par, what do they say? It's going to make dinner taste better.

Q. As your round was going around, I was thinking about those words your dad said. It seemed like you kind of took his advice today. Is that a fair assessment?

SAM BENNETT: For sure. Don't wait to do something, head down. That was by far the most locked in, focused I've been at a golf tournament. Maybe I should -- you know, in college tournaments I'm on my phone sometimes. Maybe I should start putting my phone away and get more locked in.

Yeah, I mean, I stayed patient, and I was -- me and coach were really dialed in to what we wanted to do out there.

Q. How much do you look up to Scottie?

SAM BENNETT: Yeah, Scottie's great. I look up to him a lot because I feel like we kind of play similar games, control the bounce, use the wind to hit certain shots, to do so. I like his swing, how -- what's the quote? It's not golf swing, it's golf. He kind of shows that with his footing and his swing.

It's unique, and I feel like I'm kind of like that as well.

Q. I know it would be hard to get a reaction, but how did your coach do his first day as a Masters caddie?

SAM BENNETT: He was incredible. It was incredible, just with some of the layups and numbers and some of our targets and the reads too. He helped a bunch. He's great out there. He knows his golf really well.

It definitely helps to have a guy like him around this place.