Nation's No. 1 golfer Sam Bennett excited to start spring in Maroon & White

Texas A&M's Sam Bennett is the nation's top-ranked collegiate golfer, and the Madisonville native just returned from a Tour event in Dubai. Bennett spoke to TexAgs about his experience in Dubai, his excitement to start the 2022 season and much more.

Key notes from Sam Bennett interview

• I was in Dubai for eight days. It was a really good experience. The flights were miserable, but I got to tee up with some of the best in the world. I was able to compete against them. Unfortunately, I didn't play my best and missed the cut by one stroke. I was pretty disappointed with how the week went, but it was a cool experience. I felt comfortable out there, and I definitely made some strides since my first PGA start last spring. I was happy with my comfort level. It was like I was chilling at my nine-hole course and taking a recreational round. I was happy to see that.
   
• The success has been cool. I won three times last spring at three big college events. Then I won the Spirit, representing the United States, in November. When I was a freshman, I didn't think I'd ever win in college. I've now gotten to the point where every time I tee it up, I expect and want to win.
   
• I was three back in the Spirit entering the last day. One of my teammates stuck her club in my bag, so I carried too many and had to take a two-stroke penalty. I was five back, but I came all the way back. In the end, that penalty didn't really matter.
   
• My father was my role model and still is. Everything I do now is because of him. Last spring, even when I was winning and getting all these compliments, my life kind of sucked because of his illness. I wasn't enjoying it. I wasn't happy. I was depressed. I was accomplishing everything I wanted to do and everything he wanted me to do, but he didn't know. I know he's happy in the kind of man I've grown up to be. He never cared what I shot as long as I respected the game and respected competitors. I know he's up in Heaven, looking down on me.
   
• I have a tattoo on my left forearm that says, "Don't wait to do something." I look at it all the time, and it's something I draw on when I'm on and off the golf course. That's something my dad said in one of our last conversations before he stopped being able to communicate.
   
• I just stayed strong. Golf is between the ears. That's what separates me from the rest: My mental game. How I think on the course and prepare is different. I sit back and reflect on all the things I've been through, and it's kind of crazy to me everything I've been able to accomplish. Ryan Pittsinger, our psychologist here at Texas A&M, has helped me a lot. Brian Kortan, our coach, has taken over that father figure role since my father's passing. I'm super thankful for everything and all the support at A&M.
   
• Kortan is awesome. When I was going through my tough times, I'd sit in his office for two hours and talk. We talk every day. There have been times when I've cried to him. He has come and picked me up a couple of times. He has done it all for me, and I can't thank him enough for that. He has been great. He has helped me on the course be a high-profile player, but he has helped me off the course too.
   
• I love my teammates, and they're part of why I want to stick around another year. I love my coaches, my teammates and Texas A&M. I think I have another year of college golf left in me.
   
• Our team leaves for Hawaii next Sunday, and we're there for a week. We'll get home, and I'll prepare for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, my third PGA Tour start. My brother will be on the bag for me, and a lot of people are coming down from Madisonville. That will be really fun.
   
• I went to Polly's for lunch yesterday. It's a little Mexican food restaurant, and a couple of people came up to me, telling me there were big fans of much. I've seen that more around town. Being a golfer, that doesn't happen too much. I'm definitely feeling more notoriety around College Station.
   
• I want to play on Tour someday, and I feel like I belong. I've always felt that's what I'm meant to do. My dad and grandfather told me there was always something special about my golf game, and I'm starting to see that. There are a lot of things I need to get better at, and not only in golf. That's why I'm not sure yet, but that's why I'm probably staying in college for another year. I want to graduate, and I just ordered my Aggie ring. If I don't play on Tour, I don't know what I'm going to do.
   
• I'm still a Tiger Woods fan. He's coming back, and he's going to win again. He's still Tiger.
   
• When I got home from Dubai, I switched my bag and headcovers back to the A&M stuff. I love Texas A&M, and I love playing for my teammates. I'm a big team guy. I'm excited about this season, and we're sneaky good. We don't have a lot of big names like these golf powerhouses, but we're going to be good.
   
• There are a lot of NIL opportunities in golf, and I started a little bit late. I'm working with some people, and we're trying to get some stuff going locally in College Station. It's not as big as football or basketball, but there are definitely things that we can do.