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Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt sophomore and reigning NCAA men’s individual golf champion, will be just one of seven amateur golfers competing at the Masters this week.
But despite achieving the improbable at just 19-years-old, Sargent is apparently having difficulty being recognized by security at Augusta National.
Amateur Gordon Sargent of the United States walks up the 13th fairway during a practice round prior to the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 03, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Sargent, who was extended a special invitation earlier this year, told "The Back of the Range" podcast that he was mistaken for a participant in a junior golf development competition taking place at Augusta National over the weekend.
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"I was definitely grounded a little bit this morning when I was looking for Player Dining, and a couple of people thought I was in the Drive, Chip, and Putt," he said Monday.
The initiative, started in 2013, only hosts boys and girls aged 7-15.
Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, poses with the overall winners of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club at Augusta National Golf Club on April 02, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
But as Sargent explained, it wasn’t the first time he was looked over as a competitor at the Masters.
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"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.’"
"So then I’m like, ‘Can you just get someone from the pro shop to come out here. And of course they come out, and they’re like, ‘Oh, hey Gordon,’ and the security guards are there kind of like, whatever, you know."
Sargent went on to say that on Monday morning, while looking for Player Dining, two security guards were "eyeing" him down and questioned his badge before eventually allowing him entry.
Gordon Sargent of The United States plays his tee shot on the eighth hole during practice prior to the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 04, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
"But then, I think [the people in the room] were, like, ‘Where are the kid’s parents? Did they just send him by himself for the Drive, Chip, and Putt?" Sargent said with a laugh, before admitting, "There probably were some kids over there that were bigger than me, some 13-year-olds."
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Sargent’s special invitation to the Masters is the first in more than two decades. Augusta National last invited Australia's Aaron Baddeley in 2000 under similar circumstances.
The Masters has a detailed and lengthy list of qualifications, but ultimately the tournament has the final say on special invitations. Normally, around six amateur golfers compete each year.
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