Another one: Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett says he’s returning for fifth year
For two of the top college players, professional golf can wait.
Two days after Oklahoma State senior Eugenio Chacarra announced his plans to return to Stillwater for a fifth year, Texas A&M senior Sam Bennett revealed similar news Friday on social media.
“I will be coming back to Aggieland for my fifth and final season next year,” Bennett wrote. “I want to graduate from the university of my dreams. I have some areas I need to improve in on the golf course while also continuing to improve off the course, which is just as important to me. I am thrilled to run it back one more time with my best friends, teammates and coaches.”
Like Chacarra, who was ranked third in the PGA Tour University’s Velocity Global Ranking and in position to earn one of five Korn Ferry Tour cards handed out after the NCAA Championship, Bennett was second in that ranking, having also held the top spot for much of the season.
Bennett’s decision to return to school in the fall takes him out of this year’s PGA Tour U race, though he will have a chance to opt back in for next season. Nos. 6 and 7, Clemson’s Jacob Bridgeman and Texas’ Cole Hammer, figure to move into the top 5 once Chacarra and Bennett are taken out of the ranking.
So far this season, Bennett has posted a win and four other top-3 finishes in six starts while missing a couple of events to appear in pro tournaments. He is currently ranked No. 1 by Golfstat, just ahead of No. 2 Chacarra. Both are among the 16 players on the latest Haskins Award Watch List.
The Madisonville, Texas, native has won five times in the last season and a half while also dealing with the death of his father, Mark, to Alzheimer’s disease last June.
“Growing up on a nine-hole course in Madisonville, I never really saw myself having to make this decision,” Bennett said. “Everything happened so quick for me. I went from never sniffing a college tournament title in my first two seasons to winning five times in the past year and playing in multiple PGA [Tour] events all in the midst of my father passing.”