AUGUSTA, Ga. — The opportunity of a lifetime awaits Gordon Sargent.
Vanderbilt’s stellar sophomore will be playing with the best of the best starting Thursday when he tees off at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. In January, Sargent accepted a special invitation to compete in the major professional event.
“It is really so thrilling as a coach to see one of your student-athletes have the opportunity to play on the grandest stage that the game of golf has to offer,” Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “I am so proud of how Gordon represents himself, his family, Vanderbilt University and our golf program with class and character in everything he does.
“This is such an amazing opportunity for him and one he earned by not only his golf, but also by how he carries himself.”
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Sargent is the reigning NCAA Division I men’s individual champion. The 19-year-old birdied the first hole of a four-way playoff in May becoming the first freshman since 2007 to claim the individual title.
Sargent, who played practice rounds Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, is ranked No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and is the first amateur to accept a special invitation to The masters since Aaron Baddeley in 2000. A preseason first team All-American, Sargent also won the stroke play individual championship at the East Lake Cup in October and the individual title at the John Hayt Invitational in February.
A four-time SEC Golfer of the Week this season, Sargent was the SwingU College Player of the Month for February and was named to the First Spring Haskins Award Watch List. He has finished inside the top eight in 15 straight NCAA events and in 17 of 20 NCAA events for his career.
Sargent is scheduled to tee off at 11:45 a.m. CT Thursday alongside Jason Day and Zach Johnson. On Friday, he’s scheduled to tee off at 8:36 a.m. CT with the same group.
Sargent is the second Vanderbilt student-athlete to compete as an amateur at the event since 2020 when John Augenstein competed in that year’s tournament.
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