Campus Insider Podcast/Ben Martin

In less than two weeks, Clemson's Ben Martin, the runner-up at last year's U.S. Amateur, gets to live out the dream of numerous golf fans as he'll be competing in the 2010 Masters. In this week's Podcast, I catch up with the fifth-year senior from Greenwood, S.C., who just two days earlier played his latest practice round at Augusta National.

Martin discusses getting the chance to visit the course early and get in some practice. His game seems to be rounding into form; just last weekend he shared the individual title at the Furman Intercollegiate. He also talks about his Clemson team that has showed steady improvement this spring as it gets ready to play in the ACC Championship next month.

Amateurs have stuggled the past few years at the Masters. None have made the cut since 2005, the longest stretch in tournament history.

Martin is the lone collegian that will be playing in the Masters this year (other amateurs in the field are teenagers Byeong-Hun An,Matteo Manassero and Chang-Won Han, recent Memphis graduate__Brad Benjamin__ and mid-amateur Nathan Smith).