AUGUSTA, Ga. — There were moments of brilliance Thursday for Gordon Sargent. There was some hairy stuff in between as well.
In the end, the amateur carded a first-round 77 at the Masters Tournament and is tied for 78th overall going into the second round. Sargent is now scheduled to tee off at 8:06 a.m. CT Friday.
“Kicked my butt out there,” Sargent said of his opening 18 at Augusta National Golf Club. “I actually drove it really well out there. Just really sloppy around the greens and on the greens.
“But I talked to my caddie at every single hole. We’re at Augusta at the Masters, how can you complain?”
Playing alongside former Masters Tournament champion Zach Johnson and Australian Jason Day, Sargent got off to a dream start on a muggy and humid Thursday afternoon.
On the par 4, 445-yard first, the Vandy sophomore drilled his debut drive off the tee and would go on to birdie the hole. But then came trouble.
Sargent’s third shot on the par 5 second went in the bunker. He then missed a par putt to fall back to even-par after two holes. And things got even worse on the third.
A massive drive on the 350-yard par 4 rolled just short of the green. But his ensuing chip shot rolled off the green and back down the hill toward him. His third chip lined long off the other side of the green. Then his putt for double bogey lipped out.
“I just need to clean it up around the greens and on the greens,” Sargent said. “My speed is pretty terrible today. Just kind of focusing on that. Go get a few reps on the practice green and get some rest for (Friday).”
Sargent settled in, mostly after the tough breaks on 2 and 3.
He sandwiched a pair of pars on 4 and 6 around a bogey on five and impressed on 7 and 8 with consecutive birdies. Vanderbilt vice chancellor for athletics and university fairs and athletics director Candice Lee and Vanderbilt men’s basketball coach Jerry Stackhouse greeted Sargent at the No. 8 tee box.
Two putts on nine led to another bogey and had Sargent at 3-over-par after nine holes.
Sargent hung tough on the back nine. A par putt on 11 lipped out. A pop-up rain shower on 13 briefly brought out the umbrellas before Sargent made par—the second of five straight pars before a bogey on 17 put him at 6-over-par heading to the 18th.
Another monster drive on that par 4, 465-yard hole was followed by a beauty of an approach that put the Birmingham, Alabama, native in position to birdie. He did just that, ending his day with…
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