Why Vanderbilt golf coach said Gordon Sargent 'looks like he belongs' at 2023 Masters
Gordon Sargent is 19 years old. But the Vanderbilt golfer is already the top-ranked amateur in the world, the reigning NCAA national champion and now a Masters competitor.
Sargent became the first amateur since 2000 to receive a special invitation to The Masters, given to players who are not otherwise qualified. Now, he's taking a break from the top-ranked Commodores' season to compete at Augusta National Golf Club in pro golf's most iconic major championship.
The rest of Vanderbilt's team was competing at a three-day tournament starting Sunday, finishing fourth at the Calusa Cup in Naples, Florida. Commodores golf coach Scott Limbaugh left the tournament after the second day to accompany Sargent to the Masters in Augusta, Georgia.
"I got to come in Monday night and then we had four of our players show up today to watch him play the back nine," Limbaugh told The Tennessean. "It's really neat. He looks like he belongs, there's a lot of buzz around it down here. Right now just his legs, he's got a touch around the greens to go with his length off the tee and I think it's a really cool moment, I just want to soak it in and enjoy it. And I want him to be able to do the same."
Sargent began play Thursday alongside former Masters champion Zach Johnson and former World No. 1 Jason Day. He had a birdie on his first hole but proceeded with a bogey and a triple bogey. He had pars on both No. 4 and No. 6 sandwiched by another bogey.
Limbaugh has had other players compete in The Masters. While an assistant for Alabama, Limbaugh had a player compete and former Vanderbilt golfer John Augenstein competed in 2020. But that year, Limbaugh wasn't able to attend because spectators were not allowed due to COVID-19.
In 2022, Sargent became the first freshman to win the individual NCAA national title since 2007 and helped lead the team to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. Vanderbilt's team has the potential to do even better this year, having been ranked No. 1 in the polls for most of the season.
The Masters also announced Wednesday that paths like Sargent's would become more common, as the NCAA champion will be given an automatic invitation to compete beginning in 2024.
For Limbaugh, the hope is that competing at the Masters not only gives Sargent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but also gives him the experience to reach even greater heights in his Vanderbilt career.
"I just think the experience is going to help him mature," Limbaugh said. "Just how you handle yourself, how to keep your breathing under control, keep your walking, your routines. All of those things are magnified on a week like this. So I know him very well. He's very disciplined in how he thinks and goes about his business. And I just think it'll just really help his growth process as an athlete and that's what you're trying to do, just always trying to grow."
GETTING THE CALL How Vanderbilt golfer Gordon Sargent found out he would play in The Masters
MISTAKEN IDENTITY Vanderbilt's Gordon Sargent keeps having to explain himself at Augusta National
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Gordon Sargent in Masters 2023: Why college coach said he 'belongs'
