U.S. Open: Gordon Sargent wins low am in Los Angeles despite 18th hole blunder

LOS ANGELES — Gordon Sargent officially won low amateur honors at the U.S. Open after going 1-under Sunday afternoon at Los Angeles Country Club, ending an impressive week for the incoming Vanderbilt junior.S

"It's kind of what your goal as an amateur is, just to be the low am, especially with so many amateurs here this week," Sargent said. "It means a lot and gives me a lot of confidence, especially going into amateur golf."

Sargent notched six birdies, seven pars and five bogeys in his final round. Sargent’s performance is extra impressive, considering that his nearly perfect putt on the 18th hole went in and out.

"Haven't seen that happen in a while, but that's how it goes sometimes," he said about the incident.

According to ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti, the cup was slightly damaged because the group before Sargent’s pulled out the flag incorrectly. The cup was fixed after Sargent’s bounce-back putt.

Despite the issue on the last hole, Sargent's standings were not affected. He rounded out his first-ever U.S. Open appearance with a solid performance. He managed to regain some momentum after going 5-over in the third round, his worst of the weekend.

Sargent finished the week T39 at 4-over. While that was well behind winner Wyndham Clark, who beat out Rory McIlroy to grab his first major championship win at 10-under on the week, Sargent still bested fellow amateurs who made the cut Ben Carr (+13), Aldrich Potgieter (+15) and Maxwell Moldovan (+17), respectively.

Sargent is adding his U.S. Open low am honors to an already impressive résumé for the 20-year-old student. He was named the 2023 SEC Player of the Year and was one of seven amateurs to participate in this year's Masters. As the current No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Sargent will also have a chance to represent the U.S. in the Walker Cup later this year.