Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent Awarded Mark H. McCormack Medal

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Gordon Sargent. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Vanderbilt men’s golf junior Gordon Sargent has won the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading male in the 2023 World Amateur Golf Ranking.

As the McCormack Medal winner, Sargent, who will begin his third year with the Commodores this season, receives exemptions into the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort and The Open 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,” says Sargent. “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’s strong start to his sophomore campaign at Vandy led him to the top of the men’s ranking in February after winning the John Hayt Invitational by seven shots. In April, he became the first amateur player in 23 years to accept a special invitation to compete in the Masters Tournament.

The junior was a member of the U.S. team that won the Arnold Palmer Cup in June. Later that month, Sargent qualified for the U.S. Open at The Los Angeles Country Club, where he tied for 39th after carding 284 over four rounds to earn low amateur honors in what was his second major championship appearance.

Sargent will compete for the U.S. team against Great Britain and Ireland in the 49th Walker Cup at St. Andrews next week as well as the World Amateur Team Championship in October. He has also received invitations to play in the Rocket Mortgage Classic and John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour.

Last season, Sargent was named the Golfweek Men’s National Player of the Year and was a First-Team All-America selection by Golfweek and the GCAA. The 2023 SEC Player of the Year finished his second season at Vanderbilt ranked No. 1 in the Palmer Cup Rankings and No. 2 in Golfstat Ratings. During his first season at Vanderbilt, Sargent won the 2022 NCAA Division I Individual Men’s Golf Championship after making birdie on the first hole of a four-man playoff, becoming the ninth freshman to win the NCAA individual title.

The R&A and the USGA co-award the McCormack Medal annually. It is named after Mark H. McCormack, who founded the sports marketing company IMG and was a great supporter of amateur golf.

The World Amateur Golf Ranking, which is supported by Rolex, was established in 2007 when the men’s ranking was launched. The men’s ranking encompasses more than 3,500 counting events, ranking 4,520 players from 118 countries. The women’s ranking was launched in 2011 and has a calendar of approximately 2,300 counting events with more than 3,322 ranked players from 85 countries.

Vanderbilt opens the 2023-2024 season at the Valero Texas Collegiate, which takes place Sept. 9-11 at the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course.

Steven Boero
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