Golf fans will get a few more chances to see rising star Gordon Sargent next season on the game’s biggest stages.
The 20-year-old junior at Vanderbilt was announced as the winner of the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading male in the 2023 World Amateur Golf Ranking. The honor earns Sargent exemptions into the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst and the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
“It’s really special to have won the McCormack Medal, especially when you see the names of the golfers who have won it before, and everything that comes along with it, including the major exemptions,” said Sargent in a statement. “This achievement definitely means a lot to me. It’s a goal that I’ve had set for a while, and it gives me a lot of confidence now that I’ve achieved it. I’m really honored to be receiving the medal.”
Sargent became the first amateur since Aaron Baddeley in 2000 to accept a special invitation to compete in the Masters Tournament, doing so last April. He then finished as the low amateur (T-39) at the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club in June. The native of Birmingham, Alabama, will represent the United States in both the Walker Cup next week and the World Amateur Team Championship in October.