Who is Harrison Crowe? Viral Aussie amateur star ready to make Masters debut

Harrison Crowe is one of the seven amateurs who will be playing in their first Masters this week. A 21-year-old Sydney amateur, Crowe is one of the five Australian golfers to be featured in this week's event.

Crowe earned his spot at Augusta National by claiming the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last October by beating Bo Jin of China by a one-stroke margin at Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand. The win also gave him a start in the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

Last year, Crowe went viral for hitting a ball on the 18th green at The Old Course in St. Andrews from the street corner up the block outside the Dunvegan, the course's famous 19th hole.

Filmmaker Erik Anders Lang was in search of someone who could recreate something that he heard Ernie Els doing once. Crowe, who was there and had already had a few drinks, agreed to take up the challenge.

Crowe's first shot off the tee went a little too long. He tried again, this time directly at the paving stone. Thankfully, his second shot landed on the green. The team then went inside and he made a great putt shot that ended up close to the hole.

"It's essentially a birdie," he said after putting the ball in hole in next attempt.

The video has received almost 300K views on YouTube.

Crowe teed it up alongside fellow countrymen Jason Day and Min Woo Lee on Monday. On Tuesday, he’ll practice alongside Adam Scott, Cameron Smith, and Lee. Scott won the Masters in 2013 and is the only Aussie to achieve this feat in Masters history.

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How many amateurs are playing at the 2023 Masters?

Besides Harrison Crowe, six other amateurs will compete in this year's Masters, which begins on April 6 this week. Here are the other amateurs to compete at the 2023 Masters:

1) Sam Bennett

Bennett emerged victorious at the U.S. Amateur last summer, besting Ben Carr 1-up. The 22-year-old from Madisonville, Texas was also awarded the 2022 SEC Golfer of the Year and represented the US on the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup team.

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2) Ben Carr

While Bennett won the US Amateur, Carr reached the finals, falling just one hole short of Bennett. The 22-year-old from Columbus, Georgia has six top-15 finishes in seven starts for Georgia Southern this year, including a victory at the Schenkel Invitational.

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3) Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira

Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira started the year in style as he triumphed at the Latin America Amateur Championship to secure a spot in the 2023 Masters. While doing this, he broke the tournament record by finishing at 23-under. At Hal Williams Collegiate, he has six top-20 finishes in eight starts, including a win.

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4) Matthew McClean

McClean claimed the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Erin Hills with a 3-and-1 win over Hugh Foley. The Northern Irishman also finished runner-up in the North of Ireland and Irish Amateur Opens.

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5) Aldrich Potgieter

Potgieter won the 2022 Amateur Championship at the age of 18, becoming the second-youngest ever to win the championship. The South African native also competed in the 150th Open Championship last year. Earlier this year, he went on to win the African Amateur Stroke Play Championship in South Africa followed by the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in South Carolina.

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6) Gordon Sargent

Last year, Sargent won the NCAA individual championship, becoming the first freshman since 2007 to claim the win. In February this year, he rose to the top of the World Amateur Golf Rankings. The Vanderbilt sophomore has eight top-10 finishes in eight starts this season, including two wins.