What the Hell Got Into Sam Bennett?

Sam Bennett, an amateur, is, as of this moment, sitting at -8 with a few holes to play, good enough for 2nd place at The Masters behind Brooks Koepka.

Where did this come from? Who is Sam Bennett? Is it possible he finishes in the Top 3? Is it possible he finishes in the Top 3 without the benefit of wearing one of our golf hats on his head? Sadly for Sam Bennett the answer is a resounding, “NO!” but good luck, Sam.

The Hero World Challenge

The Hero World Challenge, underway in the Bahamas, features a select and limited field that typically features the Top 20 golfers in the world. This year’s event is headlined by Collin Morikawa, Koepka, McIlroy, and Justin Thomas. Given such a small and limited field of elite golfers it’s hard to find a true underdog.

Everyone competing has won this year at least once. They’re on top of the world and awash in cash. Everyday more money rains down on them. There are no bills, car payments, or mortgages that ever come due. Most of their time is spent inside country clubs. They walk through life in a bubble. Their only concern, if they have any, is how to maintain control of their adulterous tendencies, or how to cover up any current dalliances they may be engaged in.

Given this, it’s hard to identify a true “underdog” in this field. However, upon closer inspection we do see one candidate: Henrik Stenson. Stenson is 45 years old and is not too far away from his first colonoscopy. His teeth are starting to bother him, and it’s likely he has trouble ordering off a menu without reading glasses. He’s even got his own line of eyewear: https://henrikstensoneyewear.com/ He has not been playing well of late and is ranked well outside of the Top 20 in the world so we’re not even clear how he managed to get into this event.

So even though we like to find a more worthy Underdog to root for, this week it has to be Stenson, who going into Saturday finds himself squarely in last place.

Brooke Henderson, Gary Woodland, and the wild Sunday finish

Woodland will get all the headlines, and we have to tip our hat. Gary has been a grinder for years. We celebrate guys like Gary finally breaking through. He took down Brooks Koepka. Not an easy task.

Brooke Henderson had her hands full, as well. Holding on for a 1 stroke victory over the likes of Lexi Thompson, she set a record for most tour wins by a Canadian, with 9. It’s worth pausing here to reflect on her record run. Canada, for much of the year, is VERY COLD. There is a lot of snow and mud between October - May. It’s hard to practice. Jupiter, Florida, it isn’t. Henderson had 9 birdies on Saturday to create the bit of breathing room she would need on Sunday. It is worth noting that it would take us months of regular play to record 9 birdies.

Last point about Woodland, he really kept it together and hit some quality shots over the closing holes. He’s basically a clone of Koepka. The same weight and size; the same swagger; the same length off the tee. These guys could be the face of American golf for the next century, with the occasional nip-at-the heal by Chez Reavie, Ricky Fowler, and Jordan Speith.