Top-Ranked Masters Amateur Says He Was Mistaken For a Drive, Chip and Putt Finalist at Augusta

Augusta National staff members thought Gordon Sargent—the world No. 1 amateur—was on site for an annual competition for 7-15 year-olds.

Gordon Sargent might be the No. 1 amateur in the world, but this week at Augusta National the 19-year-old was quickly humbled. 

The Vanderbilt University sophomore and reigning NCAA D-I individual champion was invited to compete in the 2023 Masters on a special invitation this year, but evidently, not everyone on the property is aware of that. 

Sargent, speaking on The Back of the Range podcast with Ben Adelberg, revealed that when he arrived to the revered major championship venue this week, security guards mistook him for a Drive, Chip and Putt competitor—and it happened more than once. The Drive, Chip and Putt is an annual contest for young golfers, ages 7-15, to test their skillset on a national stage. 

“I was definitely grounded a little bit this morning when I was looking for player dining,” Sargent said. “A couple of people thought I was in the Drive, Chip and Putt.”

“It starts off yesterday, I tried to go into the pro shop to ask them what time I could play tomorrow. I’m like, ‘Look, I’m a player, I have my caddie right here.’ The guy’s like ‘No, you’re going to have to have your badge.’”

According to Sargent, once some of the pro shop staff members came outside, they immediately recognized him from his practice round a few weeks prior. But the hurdles didn’t stop there. 

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“Two security guards see me walking, and they’re kind of eyeing me down or whatever. I’m like, ‘Hey, can I go to player dining?’ They’re like, ‘You got your badge on you?’ I pull it out, and they’re like, ‘Is that a player one?’ and they kind of eye it down and figure out what it is.”

Once Sargent finally made it to the dining room, he realized what was really happening. 

“One of the waiters there waited on me last time I was there, a couple of weeks ago, so he remembered me. But then, I think they were like, ‘Where are the kid’s parents? Did they just send him by himself for the Drive, Chip and Putt?’ The waiter was giving me a hard time about it. I talked to him after and he was like, ‘How’d the Drive, Chip and Putt go?,” Sargent said.

The series of events might have been slightly humiliating, but Sargent recounted the story to Adelberg with a smile on this face, even poked fun of his small stature. 

“There probably were some kids over there that were bigger than me. Some 13-year-olds,” Sargent said. 

Sargent may look young, but he has the game to compete alongside the best. The rising star is putting together a remarkable NCAA career—he’s finished inside the top eight in 15 consecutive college tournaments. Back in January, Sargent became the first amateur to receive a special invitation to the Masters since Aaron Baddeley in 2000, and when he won the NCAA individual title, he was the first freshman to do so since 2007. 

Sargent is one of seven amateurs competing at the Masters this week.