COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M junior golfer Sam Bennett received first-team PING All-American honors after enjoying one of the most dominant seasons in school history in 2021, the Golf Coaches Association of America announced.
Bennett, who entered 2020-21 without a collegiate victory, won a trio of tournament crowns as a junior with first-place finishes at the Cabo Collegiate, the Old Waverly Intercollegiate and the Aggie Invitational. Bennett's win at the Cabo Collegiate came with a PGA Tour exemption to the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio. Bennett's three victories were the third-most in a season by an Aggie in school history.
In 10 tournaments, Bennett posted five top 5 finishes and led the Aggies with a 70.53 scoring average, which was second-longest in school history. He now owns two of the top three scoring averages in school history. He was also undefeated in match play during the Aggies' run to the SEC Championship semifinals.
Bennett, from Madisonville, Texas, earned Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Week honors twice and he was the National Golfer of the Month for March by the Ben Hogan Award. Additionally, Bennett was a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate golfer, and he was a first-team All-SEC selection. Bennett will represent the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup June 11-13 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
Senior Dan Erickson earned PING All-Region honors after posting the team's second-best stroke average at 71.23. Erickson, from Whittier, Calif., won the individual crown at the Border Olympics and tallied six top 10 finishes in 10 tournaments. He was named SEC Golfer of the Week after a furious rally at the Border Olympics resulted in his second career individual win in a playoff.
