Tag: Sam Bennett

8 notable names who missed the cut at 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship, including the defending champion

These players are packing their bags early.

Two rounds of the 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson in Mississippi are in the books and the top of the leaderboard is crowded.

Ben Griffin is alone in first at 14 under after shooting a 9-under 63 on Friday afternoon. His round included a 65-foot eagle putt on the 14th hole.

Four players are tied for second at 12 under including Luke List, winner of the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open. Four players are tied for sixth, including Harry Higgs, at 11 under.

On the flip side, several notable names are leaving Jackson a few days early, including the defending champion Mackenzie Hughes.

Here are eight big names who missed the cut — which came in at 5-under 139— at the 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship.

PGA Tour U grads Ludvig Aberg, Sam Bennett have hot starts in Detroit

There’s no fear in the eyes of the young guns.

There’s no fear in the eyes of the young guns.

Or in the case of Ludvig Aberg and Sam Bennett, the 23-year-old PGA Tour rookies who have burst onto the professional scene.

The duo carded matching 7-under 65s in the opening round Thursday of the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club. They sit T-2 after the morning wave. The recent PGA Tour University graduates, Aberg finishing first and Bennett fifth, have taken advantage of their early professional opportunities, and they’re not the only ones to do so in the past month.

“Thankful to be able to get some exemptions and take advantage of those,” Bennett said. “I don’t know how many points I need to get for special temp, anything like that. Just trying to have some fun.”

Bennett is playing this week on a sponsor exemption. It’s his fourth straight start since turning professional. He made the cut in every one but last week at the Travelers Championship. He’s fully exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour for the rest of the year and trying to earn enough points to earn a Tour card come next season.

For Aberg, he made history as the first PGA Tour U graduate to earn a Tour card out of college. He has finished in the top 25 in both of his professional starts, and Thursday was his third 65 in his past four rounds.

At one point in his round, Aberg was 9 under thru 16 after a chip-in eagle, but made consecutive bogeys to close his round.

“I will say my driver worked very well today,” Aberg said. “I hit a lot of fairways. On a golf course like this, you get a lot of chances when you do that, so I was able to have a few wedges coming in, took advantage of the par 5s.”

An added bonus for Aberg was playing alongside European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald. Aberg, from Sweden, is looking to possibly earn a captain’s pick for Marco Simone in Italy come September.

The hot starts for Aberg and Bennett are another sign the best amateurs can compete instantly once they turn professional. Although there’s an adjustment period to their new routines, there’s plenty of excitement for what’s to come.

“It’s just going to take a little time,” Aberg said. “I think being OK with being a little bit uncomfortable at times is going to be key. All in all, it’s super fun. It’s so much fun to play these events and I’m looking forward to playing a lot more.”

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Twitter had fun with a few player arrivals on Saturday at 2023 U.S. Open, including Dustin Johnson walking in with The Great One

Saturday at the U.S. Open is off to a great start.

The third round of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club is underway and the leaders have arrived at the golf course.

The early noise is coming from Tom Kim, who posted a 6-under 29 on the front nine and birdied the par-4 10th to get to 7 under on his day. He may need a few more, but the golf course is only getting tougher as it dries out so he should be right in the mix Sunday if continues to play well.

Twitter had some fun with a few player entrances Saturday, including Sam Bennett arriving to the course with a freshly-shaven look.

U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | How to watch

Here are some of the best entrances from players before the third round of the U.S. Open.

Former Texas A&M star Sam Bennett makes U.S. Open cut at 5-under par, sits within top 10

Former Texas A&M golf star Sam Bennett proved his 2023 Masters breakout was no fluke after breezing through the cut at the U.S Open. He now sits firmly within the top 10 heading into Round 3.

Former Texas A&M golf star Sam Bennett is proving his 2023 Masters breakout performance was no fluke, as the reigning 2022 U.S. Amateur champion remains firmly in the mix at the 123rd U.S. Open after the first two rounds.

After coming out the gate with a Round 1 3-under par (67), Bennett followed up with a 2-under par (68) for Round 2 on Friday. With a solid first two rounds, Bennett breezed through the cut and now heads to the clubhouse in firmly within the top 10.

With a quick glance at the U.S. Open leaderboard, Bennett is tied for eighth with Scottie Scheffler at 5-under par:

As the U.S. Amateur winner, Bennett was paired the first two rounds with reigning Open Championship winner Cam Smith and defending U.S. Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick.

Bennett’s strong start should come as no surprise after the former Aggie opened his Masters’ debut in April with a pair of 68s, bettering defending champion Scottie Scheffler by seven strokes and trailing only eventual winner Jon Rahm. Playing on the biggest stage seems like second nature for the young professional, whose career trajectory should only skyrocket going forward.

Bennett will be back in action on Saturday for Round 3 as he’s paired with Min Woo Lee with a tee time of 5:07 p.m. CT. TV coverage can be found on NBC, with a live stream available at USOpen.com and the U.S. Open mobile app.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee.

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Rickie Fowler leads the way, first-time major winners in contention, the course strikes back and more from Friday at the 2023 U.S. Open

Here’s what you missed from a busy second round on Friday at the 2023 U.S. Open.

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LOS ANGELES — When co-leader Rickie Fowler birdied his opening three holes on Friday, it seemed as if we were in for another getable day at the 2023 U.S. Open.

But during the afternoon at Los Angeles Country Club, the sun came out, the winds picked up and brought the scores with it. On Thursday, 55 players were even par or better. That number dropped to 41 on Friday, with an average score of 72.22, 0.84 more than Thursday’s record low of 71.38.

A handful of would-be first-time major champs are near the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes in Beverly Hills. Fowler strung together another solid round at 2-under 68 and sits alone in the lead at 10 under, one shot clear of Wyndham Clark (67). Sitting T-3 at 8 under are Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, with Harris English rounding out the top five at 7 under.

From Fowler’s peaks and valleys round to a lacking atmosphere and notable names on their way home, here’s what you missed from a busy Friday at the 2023 U.S. Open.

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Johnnie-O celebrates the major in its backyard with the 2023 U.S. Open Collection

Johnnie-O celebrates the U.S. Open in its backyard with the 2023 U.S. Open Collection.

Johnnie-O and the U.S. Open have teamed up to welcome the third men’s major of the year to Los Angeles.

Golf fans can celebrate the 123rd U.S. Open in style with johnnie-O’s curated collection of custom embroidered pieces. The collection features styles with johnnie-O’s signature PREP-FORMANCE technology and a breathable four-way stretch that will keep you feeling fresh on the course, regardless of whether you are the one teeing off or if you’re watching the pros.

As an LA-based company, johnnie-O takes east coast prep apparel and adapts it for west coast lifestyle, making a perfect marriage of sleek, cool golf apparel.

Johnnie-O isn’t the only apparel collaborator with the 2023 U.S. Open. FootJoy and Peter Millar both dropped collections to celebrate the 123rd playing of golf’s toughest test.

Who’s going home? Notable PGA Tour players to miss the cut at the 2023 RBC Canadian Open

Check out who’s got an early flight home from Toronto.

NORTH YORK, Ontario — A field of 156 players entered, and after 36 holes just 75 remain.

The PGA Tour is making its annual stop up north this week with the 2023 RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale Golf and Country Club. Established in 1904, the Canadian Open is the second-oldest non-major on the PGA Tour schedule behind the BMW Championship.

Two-time defending champion Rory McIlroy will try to become the first player to win the same event three times in a row since Steve Stricker made the John Deere Classic his personal ATM from 2009-2011, and just the fourth player overall to accomplish the feat, joining Stuart Appleby and Tiger Woods, who hit the trifecta (at least) at six different events.

Meanwhile, Corey Conners is attempting to be the first Canadian to win his national open since Pat Fletcher did so in 1954.

But what about those who missed the cut? Check out the notable players who have an early flight home from the 2023 RBC Canadian Open after finishing worse than 1-under par.

Sam Bennett signs endorsement deal with Ping

The three-time All-American at Texas A&M has turned pro and has a multi-year agreement with Ping.

Sam Bennett, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion who shot 68-68 in the first two rounds of the 2023 Masters and finished T-16 this year at Augusta National, is making his professional debut Thursday at the Memorial Tournament.

The three-time All-American at Texas A&M has been using Ping golf equipment as part of a NIL deal with the Phoenix-based manufacturer, but the company has announced it signed Bennett to a multi-year agreement.

Bennett, 23, won several events while playing for Texas A&M and was the 2022 Player of the Year in the SEC before winning the U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood Country Club last summer.

“I’ve been playing Ping equipment since my junior golf days, and my relationship with their team during that time has been a big reason for my success,” Bennett said in a release. “said Bennett. “I’m very confident in my equipment, which allows me to go out and focus on winning tournaments. I’m excited to begin my journey as a professional knowing PING will be with me every step of the way.”

2022 U.S. Amateur
Sam Bennett holds the Havemeyer trophy after winning the 2022 U.S. Amateur at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey. (Photo: Grant Halverson/USGA)

By finishing fifth in the PGA Tour University standings, Bennett has status on the Korn Ferry through the end of this season. He can also accept sponsor exemptions into PGA Tour events.

Bennett is expected to continue playing 14 Ping clubs, including a G430 LST driver, G430 Max 3-wood, a G425 hybrid and iBlade irons. Bennett plays Ping’s Glide Forged Pro wedges and a PLD Oslo 4 putter.

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SEC Names Sam Bennett Golfer of the Week

SEC Names Sam Bennett Golfer of the Week

This was probably the most predictable SEC Golfer of the Week honor in years. Sam Bennett had a historic run at the Masters Tournament earning the respect of many seasoned golfers and was the talk of the golf world on social media for days.

The three-time All-American was the only amateur to make the cut after back-to-back opening rounds of 68. He would finish the tournament in 16th place with a 2-under 286 becoming the first amateur to finish in the top 20 since 2005.

Bennett’s Masters Performance as an amateur was one for the ages and joined the ranks of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as notable Low Amateurs at the event. He gave golf fans around the country something the Aggies already knew; Sam Bennett is a name to keep an eye on for many years to come.

Checkout some photos and highlights from Sam Bennett’s historic week at the Masters Tournament

Sam Bennett’s warm welcome home, Gordon Sargent dominates and Rose Zhang returns to action among highlights from past week of college golf

Here’s what you missed from the past week in college golf.

The college golf regular season is close to its conclusion.

Many women’s college golf teams are beginning their conference tournaments this week, and next week is when the men will try to claim conference titles. It’s the final chance for teams to make a push into the postseason.

Every day, the picture is coming more into focus on which teams are fighting for a title and others who are looking to be a dark-horse contender.

From Sam Bennett’s return home from Augusta to Rose Zhang’s first competition since winning the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, here are some of the best storylines in college golf from the past week.

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