Sam Bennett came into the Masters Tournament aiming to prove he belonged. He came up short of winning, but the U.S. Amateur champion showed he could go toe-to-toe with the best golfers in the world.
Bennett climbed as high as third place by the end of the first two rounds and ended up in a tie for 16th place, becoming the first amateur to finish in the Top 20 since 2005, according to Augusta Chronicle.
And therein lies a lesson entrepreneurs can take with them.
You may not hit $1 million in sales right away or grow your customer base every single month, but that doesn’t mean your new business isn’t successful.
It took Apple years to compete with Microsoft and IBM. Twitter has spent two decades trying to catch up to Facebook.
Not everybody will turn out to be a Steve Jobs or a Jack Dorsey. You’ll hit some double-bogeys and even a few proverbial sand traps. It’s how you overcome those obstacles that will define your growth as an entrepreneur.
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Bennett was the first amateur to enter the final round in the top 10 at the Masters through 54 holes since 1964, according to Golfweek. He was five shots off the amateur record of 281 set by Charles R. Coe in 1961 and was the first amateur to finish in the Top 20 since 2005.
It’s an inspiring start for the 23-year-old, who was overcome with emotion in his post-match talk with the media:
“It was just, from growing up as a kid watching this tournament to losing my dad to the struggles I’ve faced and still face to be able to walk up that green on 18 on a Sunday, Easter Sunday, and just be appreciative of everything, I thought — I mean, if you had told me I was going to be here when I was a kid, I would have thought you were crazy. So to be able to — it’s cool. Playing the Masters on Sunday, that’s what every golfer dreams of.”
So, what lesson can young entrepreneurs take from the 87th Masters Tournament?
Be grateful for the opportunities before you, as Bennett said. And let’s check with Garit Boothe, whose own business failures taught him a few things:
- Do The Work
- Don’t Quit
- Build Your Credit
- Build A Team
- Create Systems
