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While many stalwarts have struggled at The Masters 2023, amateur Sam Bennett displayed an incredible game, surprising many as he sits in 2nd place after playing 31 holes at Augusta National (at the time of writing).
Bennett hit two straight birdies on the eighth and ninth holes on the second day of The Masters. The 22-year-old Texas native is at 2-under on the second day so far, aggregating at 6-under after 25 holes of golf.
Bennett is playing his first Masters since winning the U.S. Amateur last year, defeating Ben Carr 1-up. Notably, Carr is also playing at Augusta National, but he didn't have the same fate as Bennett, as his two rounds at the event have been 75 and 74, and is most likely to miss the cut.
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Golf Twitter was all in praise for The Masters rookie's performance. Here's a look at some of the tweets:
"This kid is on 🔥 nice!"
"The kid can play!!!"
"Sam Bennett have a freaking weekend!"
"Impressive for an amateur, or a pro really"
"Amazing what this kid is doing 👏 He's got some new fans 😊🏌️♂️"
Sam Bennett puts on a show at the Masters 2023
Bennett didn't look like someone debuting at The Masters tournament when he achieved a bogey-free 4-under 68 score in the opening round on Thursday.
It was arguably one of the best first-day performances by an amateur at The Masters as Texas A&M men’s golf star became the first amateur to finish in the top 10 after Day 1 since 2005.
Bennett qualified for The Masters last year by winning the US Amateur Open and also received the 2022 SEC Golfer of the Year.
In addition to Bennett, Benn Carr, Harrison Crowe, Mateo Fernandez de Oliviera, Aldrich Potgieter, Gordon Sargent, and Matthew McClean are the other amateurs competing at The Masters 2023. However, none of the has performed anywhere near the level of the US Amateur Open winner.
Brooks Koepka finishes at 12-under after two rounds of Masters 2023
After playing a bogey-free round of 5-under 65, Brooks Koepka aggregated a score of 12-under in the first 36 holes of the Masters 2023. On Friday, he carded an eagle and three birdies. He currently has a five-stroke lead over Sam Bennett, who is in second place with five holes to go (at the time of writing.)
In the opening round at Augusta National, Brooks Koepka recorded a score of 7-under 65, featuring eight birdies and only one bogey.
Koepka appeared to have a point to prove with his exceptional performance, given the LIV Golf professionals have been restricted from participating in any PGA Tour or DP World Tour events.
Notably, Saudi-backed circuit golfers have limited opportunities to accumulate ranking points as their events are barred from OWGR points.
Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm, who shared the lead alongside Koepka after the first day, are yet to complete their second round so it will be interesting to see how their game progresses on Friday.
