Vanderbilt junior Gordon Sargent has made the cut at the John Deere Classic, earning another point in PGA TOUR University Accelerated and clearing a pathway to PGA TOUR membership.
Sargent, who is competing this week on a sponsor exemption, shot 70-67 at TPC Deere Run to advance to the weekend. Making the cut in a PGA TOUR event is worth one point in PGA TOUR U Accelerated’s merit-based scale, giving Sargent 17 of the necessary 20 points to earn TOUR status through the nascent program. A top-10 finish at TPC Deere Run would earn him another point, but regardless of his finish this week he has put the 20-point threshold within reach.
Sargent will earn another two points when he represents the United States in the Walker Cup on Sept. 2-3 at St. Andrews in Scotland. He was one of the first three players named to the U.S. Walker Cup team, along with Michael Thorbjornsen and David Ford, but players do not accrue Accelerated points until they tee it up in the competition.
The Walker Cup will give Sargent at least 19 points in Accelerated. He could earn his 20th point if he is named to the three-man U.S. team for this year’s World Amateur Team Championship on Oct. 18-21 in Dubai. Sargent, the top-ranked amateur in the world, represented the United States in last year’s World Amateur Team Championship.
He also could earn his 20th point by making another PGA TOUR cut or by winning the U.S. Amateur or Western Amateur.
PGA TOUR University Accelerated was announced last year as a way for high-achieving amateurs to earn PGA TOUR status via their accomplishments in elite amateur and professional competition. While PGA TOUR U’s benefits – which include status on the PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour and the TOUR’s international tours – are reserved for college seniors, the Accelerated program rewards high-achieving players who are on a faster track. Players must earn 20 Accelerated points by the end of their third year of NCAA eligibility to earn PGA TOUR status through the program. Sargent is entering his junior season at Vanderbilt.
Since 2010, only three players would have earned membership through PGA TOUR University Accelerated: Patrick Cantlay (2012), Justin Thomas (2013) and Patrick Rodgers (2014). Sargent earned Accelerated points with his victory in the 2022 NCAA Championship and by being named that year’s NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year. He also earned points by reaching No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, competing in this year’s Masters, making the cut in the U.S. Open and his two appearances in the Palmer Cup.
Sargent would be the first player to earn PGA TOUR membership through PGA TOUR U Accelerated. That status would make him eligible for all open, full-field PGA TOUR events beginning the week following the NCAA Championship and continuing through the end of the season. He would have TOUR membership for the following TOUR season, as well.
Source : PGA Tour
