Sam Bennett won adulation from golf fans across the nation when tying for 16th place at the Masters Tournament.
The Texas A&M student spent most of the major near the top of the leaderboard. Bennett received a standing ovation at Augusta National and a warm welcome back to College Station.
The 23-year-old quickly had a decision to make, as the school’s Aggie Invitational started Monday. The 36-hole event requires golfers to carry their own bags.
When asked Sunday about using a pushcart, Bennett declined by making a joke at another program’s expense.
“This ain’t Stanford,” he said, per GolfDigest’s Tod Leonard.
In his post-Masters interview, the fifth-year senior expressed a desire to participate in the Aggie Invitational.
“I definitely need some time to decompress,” Bennett said. “Yeah, I don’t know, it was a great week, and I’m looking forward to getting back and looking back on the memories I made. Yeah, it’s it might be a 36-hole day grind tomorrow, so we’ll see. I still haven’t made my decision, but I think I’m going to play.”
However, he later decided not to compete.
Bennett won’t golf again this week at Bryan, Texas, but fans could see the rising star back on the pro stage down the road.