Former Mountain Brook High School golfer Gordon Sargent, who will be a junior at Vanderbilt in the fall, holds 17 points in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program.By Rubin E. Grant
It’s been quite a year for former Mountain Brook High School golfer Gordon Sargent.
He played in two of golf’s majors and in two other PGA Tour events, which has brought him to the cusp of earning his PGA tour card.
Sargent, who will be a junior at Vanderbilt in the fall, holds 17 points in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, which was established in November. Players who earn 20 points on the accelerated points scale by the end of their third year of NCAA eligibility earn PGA Tour membership.
Sargent has 17 points thanks to winning the 2022 NCAA title as a freshman, being named the NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year, having two starts in majors and being included on national teams. He already has been named to this year’s U.S. Walker Cup team, which will give him another two points when he tees it up Sept. 2-3 at St. Andrews in Scotland. Players do not accrue accelerated points until they tee it up in a competition.
Sargent also could earn his 20th point if he represents the United States in the World Amateur Team Championship Oct. 18-21 in Dubai. That’s a strong possibility since Sargent is the top-ranked amateur in the world and represented the U.S. in the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship.
Making a cut in a PGA Tour event is worth one accelerated point and a top-10 finish brings one additional point.
Given sponsors’ exemptions the past two weekends, the 20-year-old Sargent competed in two professional events. He failed to make the cut in the Rocket Mortgage Classic June 29-July 2 at the Detroit Golf Club, shooting a 1-under 143 (71-72) in the first two rounds.
But last weekend, Sargent made the cut in the John Deere Classic to earn his 17th accelerated point. He finished with a 7-under 277, tied for 57th, with rounds of 70-67-69-71 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.
Staying in College Either Way
Even if he hits the 20-point threshold in October, Sargent could not accept his tour card until the end of the following school year in 2024. Sargent told Golf Channel in January he planned to stay at Vanderbilt through his junior year regardless.
“You’d obviously be thinking about (accepting that PGA Tour card) because there’s just so much that comes along with it, but at the same time, everyone tells you that college is the best time of your life,” Sargent said. “But yeah, if I achieved it after this year, I’m still definitely going to come back for my junior year, and obviously things could change a little bit after that. But I don’t think I’m ready to play professional golf right now.
“I can’t even imagine traveling the world by myself playing professional golf at age 20. I’d rather just stay in college another couple years and get better. … And if you have a PGA Tour card waiting for you, it gives you a lot of freedom.”
Sargent was the low amateur in the U.S. Open in June with a 284 four-round total, tied for 39th. He shot rounds of 69-71-75-69 to earn low amateur honors by nine shots at Los Angeles Country Club. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Sargent was just the sixth amateur to have two rounds in the 60s at a U.S. Open.
Sargent had a strange ending on the 18th hole in the final round. His putt looked as though it was headed for the center of the cup when it shockingly bounced out and right back onto the green.
“I had like a 2½ footer straight up the hill that hit the back of the hole and just bounced right back to me,” Sargent said afterwards. “Haven’t seen that happen in a while, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”
In the spring, Sargent received a special invitation to the Masters. He was one of seven amateurs at Augusta National but missed the cut by six shots, finishing with a two-day total score of plus-9.
That turned out to be a rare poor showing for Sargent, who had an exceptional sophomore season at Vanderbilt, earning SEC Player of the Year and Golfweek Men’s National Player of the Year awards. He was ranked No. 1 in final 2023 Palmer Cup Rankings and No. 2 in Golfstat ratings.
But earning PGA Tour membership through the accelerated program isn’t easy. Since 2010, only three players would have earned membership through the accelerated program: Patrick Cantlay (2012), Justin Thomas (2013) and Patrick Rodgers (2014).
Sargent is rapidly closing in on it though.
“I feel like if you play just good golf and the golf that you know you’re capable of, then you’re going to reach those 20 points without having to think about it too much,” Sargent told reporters before the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
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