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Vanderbilt sophomore Gordon Sargent incredibly earned his card through PGA Tour University Accelerated program.
At just 20 years old, Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent secured his PGA Tour card in historic fashion.
Sargent is the first player to graduate from the PGA Tour University’s Accelerated program, which is ironic since Sargent is notorious for his advanced swing speeds of 185 mph — pun intended.
As soon as he teed off in the first round of the World Amateur Team Championship on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, Sargent satisfied the 20-point requirement through this new accelerated program.
The Commodore golfer will give Ludvig Aberg company as these two youngsters look to take over the professional golf realm.
“Since winning the NCAA Championship as a freshman, Gordon has consistently proven himself as one of the top amateurs in the game, and he’s very deserving of becoming the first underclassman to earn PGA Tour membership through PGA Tour University Accelerated,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan per a press release. “We look forward to welcoming him to the PGA Tour after he concludes his collegiate career at Vanderbilt.”
He won’t become professional immediately but can take up his full PGA Tour membership after the NCAA Championship concludes in May. Sargent will be eligible for open, full-field events for the rest of the 2024 season and the following one.
Sargent is No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf rankings. He entered this week with 19 points and earned the 20th once he began competition as a member of the U.S. Team.
Just a few months after Aberg became the first PGA Tour University member to earn full-time status, Sargent made history as the first underclassman to do so. Since Aberg earned full-time status, he has posted four top-5 finishes in his first 10 starts as a pro. He also won the DP World Tour’s Omega European Masters.
The young Swede is on a meteoric rise in professional golf. But he likely will not be alone once Sargent turns pro next year.
PGA Tour Accelerated Program
The PGA Tour accelerated program was announced last November as a way for high-achieving underclassmen to earn a Tour membership. Golfers earned points based on their accomplishments in college, amateur and professional events. If a player makes 20 points by the end of their third year of NCAA eligibility, they can become eligible for membership.
Sargent earned his first three points on May 30, 2022, when he won the individual NCAA title. He won two points on June 1, 2022, when he was awarded the 2022 NCAA Division I Outstanding Freshman Award. Sargent earned another point competing for the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup last July.
Another was awarded to him Aug. 2022 for competing at the World Amateur Team Championships.
The 20-year-old earned five points for being the No. 1 ranked amateur on Feb. 13. He played in the Masters Championship at Augusta National, picking up a point there as well. Another Arnold Palmer Cup appearance got him to 14 points.
He made his second major championship start at the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club to earn another point. Sargent made the cut that week and earned low amateur honors, inching himself closer to that 20-point mark. He made another PGA Tour cut at the John Deer Classic to give him 17 points.
When he went 4-0-0 and helped Team USA win the Walker Cup earlier this fall, it put him at 19 points. That put him on the precipice this week in Abu Dhabi.
The Vandy sophomore has already had collegiate battles against Aberg. Pretty soon, they’ll battle it out on the biggest stages weekly.
Sargent is the next up-and-coming star for the PGA Tour. He has already shown he can handle the pressure. Now, he has locked up his card. Who will win a PGA Tour event first — Aberg or Sargent?
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
