After a blazing run at the 2023 Masters, amateur golfer Sam Bennett seemed poised to take the professional world by storm, leaving many fans asking, What happened to Sam Bennett? The simple answer is that he didn't disappear at all, he embarked on the grueling, unglamorous, and absolutely necessary journey of earning his spot on the PGA Tour. This article will break down his transition from celebrated amateur to a PGA Tour rookie and pull out the powerful lessons all golfers can learn from his path.
Before we look at his professional career, let's remember why Sam Bennett became such a compelling figure. His story wasn't just about good golf, it was about an attitude that resonated with fans everywhere. He burst onto the national scene well before the Masters, but Augusta is where he became a household name.
In 2022, Bennett won the U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood Country Club. It’s one of the most demanding tournaments in golf, a marathon of skill and mental fortitude. But what captured everyone's attention was his tattoo. On his left forearm are the last words his late father ever wrote to him: “Don’t wait to do something.”
That phrase became his mantra. It defined his aggressive, confident style of play. As a coach, this is something I point to over and over. So much of golf is eaten away by hesitation and doubt. Bennett embodied the opposite - a commitment to action, a decision to seize the moment. He wasn’t waiting for his pro career to start competing with the best, he was doing it now.
At the 2023 Masters, Bennett did more than just make the cut. Through two rounds, he was squarely in contention, playing alongside the likes of Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka. He looked like he belonged. His steady demeanor, his swagger, and his incredible shot-making had the golf world buzzing. He ultimately finished T16, securing Low Amateur honors in spectacular fashion.
His performance was defined by a fearless belief in himself. He famously told reporters that he believed he could win the tournament, a statement that many mistook for arrogance. But it wasn't arrogance, it was genuine self-belief, forged through hard work and inspired by his father's words. For those magical four days, every golfer watching at home felt like they could take a bit of that "Bennett energy" to their local course.
The week after the Masters, many casual fans expected to see Sam Bennett racking up wins and big paychecks on the PGA Tour. But the reality of becoming a professional golfer is far more complicated. This is where the real story begins.
After finishing his final season at Texas A&M, Bennett officially turned pro in May 2023. Unlike established stars, a newly minted pro doesn't automatically get full status on the PGA Tour. They exist in a challenging limbo, relying on a limited number of sponsor's exemptions to get into tournaments.
Think of sponsor's exemptions as a handful of "free passes" a tournament can give out. Bennett, fresh off his Masters high, received several. He played in the Memorial Tournament, the RBC Canadian Open, and the U.S. Open as a new professional. He showed flashes of his talent, making cuts and earning his first paychecks, but he didn't secure a miraculous victory or a string of top-10 finishes needed to automatically earn his PGA Tour card for the next season.
This is a critical point many people miss. It's not that he was "playing badly." He was competing solid golf against the best players in the world, on new courses, with the immense pressure of knowing every single start mattered. The truth is, securing your card this way is incredibly difficult and very few players manage it.
When the path of sponsor's exemptions didn't lead to a Tour card, Bennett faced the route that thousands of aspiring pros know all too well: the PGA Tour Qualifying School, or "Q-School."
Q-School is one of the most pressure-packed events in sports. It’s a multi-stage tournament where a few hundred golfers fight for just a handful of spots on the PGA Tour. It doesn't matter what you did at the Masters or who you are, all that matters is your score over four brutal rounds.
In December 2023, Sam Bennett entered the final stage of Q-School. After an intense four days, he finished tied for 4th. The top five and ties earn a full PGA Tour card. He did it. He had succeeded where so many fail. So, what happened to Sam Bennett? He went out and earned his place on the PGA Tour, the hard way.
Sam Bennett is currently playing his rookie season on the 2024 PGA Tour. For those looking for wins and top finishes every week, his results might seem quiet. He's made some cuts, he's missed some cuts, and he’s had a few decent finishes. This is the reality for most rookies.
The PGA Tour is a relentless grind. You're traveling constantly, learning new courses every week, and competing against players who have been doing this for decades. Success for a rookie isn't measured in wins, it's measured in survival. The primary goal is to finish inside the Top 125 of the FedEx Cup standings to retain your card for the next year.
His journey is far from over - it's just beginning. He is no longer the celebrated amateur with nothing to lose. He is a professional golfer, working week-in and week-out to build a career. He's exactly where he's supposed to be, right in the middle of the fight.
As a golf coach, I see Bennett’s story not as a flameout, but as a perfect case study in what it truly takes to succeed. Here are three takeaways you can apply to your own game.
Bennett's "swagger" wasn't just for show, it was a tool. His self-belief allowed him to swing freely under the greatest pressure. Too many amateur golfers preface a shot with, “Well, I’m probably going to mess this up.”
If you only looked at Bennett’s Masters performance and then his early pro results, you might think his career was going backward. But Q-School proved it was moving forward, just not on the straight upward line we imagine success to be. Your golf game is the same.
Everyone saw Bennett drain putts at Augusta. What they didn't see was the thousands of lonely hours on the range, the travel, and the immense pressure of Q-School. That’s where his spot on the tour was really won. Similarly, your handicap doesn't drop during your Saturday round, it drops in the less glamorous moments.
Sam Bennett didn't fall off the map. He successfully navigated the incredibly challenging path from amateur stardom to professional reality, earning his PGA Tour card and realizing his dream. He is now living the life of a Tour rookie - a constant battle of learning, adapting, and growing.
While battling it out to keep your tour card might not be your reality, managing your a game on the course presents its own set of challenges. Making smart, confident decisions under pressure is universal. I created Caddie AI to give you that tour-level expertise anytime you need it. When you’re facing a tricky lie or are stuck between clubs, it provides a clear, simple strategy, taking the guesswork out of the equation so you can play with the same commitment a pro like Sam Bennett takes into every shot.
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