AUGUSTA, Ga. — The third day at the Augusta National Golf Club ended much better for Gordon Sargent than the second day began.
On Sunday, the Vanderbilt sophomore arrived at the historic golf venue to continue preparing for this week’s Masters Tournament. He wasn’t immediately allowed into the players’ dining room.
“Nobody believed me,” Sargent told WTFV-TV on Monday.
Those watching Sargent on Monday, however, have no doubt about what they witnessed.
Sargent, 19, arrived at the cool, damp course early. He began his day, in a blue sweater with an anchor emblem on its left side, with 45 minutes on the putting green, then spent about 30 minutes chipping and 45 on the driving range. Personal coach Eric Williamson and caddy William Cane were by his side.
Sargent’s Mountain Brook (Alabama) High School teammates and friends were also there to watch and cheer him on.
After a quick interview, he took a lunch break with his mom and dad and went back to the course for nine holes he won’t soon forget.
“Definitely nervous on the first tee a little bit, hitting in front of so many people,” Sargent said. “But I feel like I learned a good amount and am going to use what I learned today.”
At 2:22 p.m., Sargent stepped into the tee box on No. 10 alongside PGA Tour professionals Justin Thomas and Max Homa for the first of nine practice holes. His first tee shot drew a “whoa, doggy!” from a member of the gallery. His second, on No. 11, had members of the crowd letting loose a series of “woos!”
From there, Sargent settled in on the back nine and consistently out-drove his peers (although not every tee shot stayed straight down the fairway).
And on the par 3 No. 12, the crowd held their breath as his tee shot stayed above the pin on a dangerous slope. At No. 13, his second shot nearly rolled into the creek. But it stayed dry and gave the Vandy sophomore a valuable lesson on that pin location.
After the trio hit their tee shots on 16, they walked to the edge of the hole’s long pond for the traditional attempt to skip a ball across the water and onto the green. All three attempted the feat at the same time—all three failed.
Sargent’s day ended on 18 just after 5 p.m. He shook hands with his threesome and walked off the green, tossing a ball to a young fan before being led to one of three podiums to field questions from the media.
Before he put away the clubs for the day and attended a dinner for the event’s seven amateurs,…
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