Sam Bennett sits at -4, in the top 10 after first round at Augusta

Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett, the reigning US Amateur Champion, made his Masters debut on Thursday, and what a debut it was. He finished the round at -4, squarely among the top 10 golfers, and now in contention to make the cut and continue into play on Saturday and Sunday.

Bennett’s round came out strong with a birdie and an eagle on the first two holes.

He would birdie again on six to shoot a 32 on the front 9, tying the Masters record for an amateur. From there, he made par on every hole to finish at 68 and wrap up what can only be described as a fantastic opening round.

With the top 50 players making the cut at the conclusion at the second round, Bennett has set himself up well to play the full four rounds at Augusta. At the moment, everyone at +1 or better is above the cut line, but that will be a moving target as the second round progresses on Friday.

Bennett’s group will tee off at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, and can be streamed on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports app or Paramount+.