Accelerated

Sargent Closing In on PGA Tour Membership Through New Program

By RuBin E. GRant

It’s been quite a year for former Mountain Brook High School golfer Gordon Sargent. He played in two of golf’s majors and in two other PGA Tour events, which has brought him to the cusp of earning his PGA tour card.

Sargent, who will be a junior at Vanderbilt in the fall, holds 17 points in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, which was established in November. Players who earn 20 points on the accelerated points scale by the end of their third year of NCAA eligibility earn PGA Tour membership.

Sargent has 17 points thanks to winning the 2022 NCAA title as a freshman, being named the NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year, having two starts in majors and being included on national teams. He already has been named to this year’s U.S. Walker Cup team, which will give him another two points when he tees it up Sept. 2-3 at St. Andrews in Scotland. Players do not accrue accelerated points until they tee it up in a competition.

Sargent also could earn his 20th point if he represents the United States in the World Amateur Team Championship Oct. 18-21 in Dubai. That’s a strong possibility since Sargent is the top-ranked amateur in the world and represented the U.S. in the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship.

Making a cut in a PGA Tour event is worth one accelerated point and a top-10 finish brings one additional point.

Given sponsors’ exemptions the past two weekends, the 20-year-old Sargent competed in two professional events. He failed to make the cut in the Rocket Mortgage Classic June 29-July 2 at the Detroit Golf Club, shooting a 1-under 143 (71-72) in the first two rounds.

But last weekend, Sargent made the cut in the John Deere Classic to earn his 17th accelerated point. He finished with a 7-under 277, tied for 57th, with rounds of 70-67-69-71 at TPC

Leath

From page 32 ter demonstrated on and off the field. He is a finalist for the Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year award to be announced in July.

Leath’s Year

As a senior this past track season, the 6-foot-1,160-pound Leath won the 800- and 1,600-meter events at the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 7A state meet, leading the Rebels to a second-place finish as a team. Leath’s winning time in the 1,600 of 4:07.33 ranked No. 19 nationally among prep competitors in 2023.

Leath took seventh in the 800 at the Brooks PR Invitational in June in Seattle, Washington, in a state-record 1:49.84, which ranked No. 15 nationally.

He also earned dual All-American

Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

Staying in College Either Way

Even if he hits the 20-point threshold in October, Sargent could not accept his tour card until the end of the following school year in 2024. Sargent told Golf Channel in January he planned to stay at Vanderbilt through his junior year regardless.

“You’d obviously be thinking about (accepting that PGA Tour card) because there’s just so much that comes along with it, but at the same time, everyone tells you that college is the best time of your life,” Sargent said. “But yeah, if I achieved it after this year, I’m still definitely going to come back for my junior year, and obviously things could change a little bit after that. But I don’t think I’m ready to play professional golf right now.

“I can’t even imagine traveling the world by myself playing professional golf at age 20. I’d rather just stay in college another couple years and get better. … And if you have a PGA Tour card waiting for you, it gives you a lot of freedom.” honors at Nike Outdoor Nationals at the University of Oregon in June with a sixth-place finish in the 800 followed by his anchor leg for a 4x800 relay quartet that took second in a state-record time of 7:30.68. Leath was joined on the relay team by Henry Strand, Mitchell Schaaf and Max Armstrong.

Sargent was the low amateur in the U.S.

“This year was such a great experience, and really I focused on achieving both individual and team goals,” Leath said. “Ultimately, I think this focus put me in position to be considered and ultimately selected for the Gatorade Player of the Year award.”

Vestavia Hills track coach Richard Anderson was ecstatic to see Leath earn the award.

“Nobody deserved it more … in my mind,” Anderson said. “He did a great job, and his times speak for themselves, not only in the state but nationally. But beyond all that, I’m happiest about the person Alex became this year. He matured and embraced all challenges.”

Open in June with a 284 four-round total, tied for 39th. He shot rounds of 69-71-75-69 to earn low amateur honors by nine shots at Los Angeles Country Club. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Sargent was just the sixth amateur to have two rounds in the 60s at a U.S. Open.

Sargent had a strange ending on the 18th hole in the final round. His putt looked as though it was headed for the center of the cup when it shockingly bounced out and right back onto the green.

“I had like a 2½ footer straight up the hill that hit the back of the hole and just bounced right back to me,” Sargent said afterwards. “Haven’t seen that happen in a while, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”

In the spring, Sargent received a special invitation to the Masters. He was one of seven amateurs at Augusta National but missed the cut by six shots, finishing with a two-day total score of

Anderson wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“Alex Leath established himself as one of the top middle-distance talents in the nation this spring, breaking two

Nationals.” state records to rank among Alabama’s all-time track greats,” said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack.com. “He smashed a 16-year-old state record in the 800 before capping his senior season by anchoring the Rebels’ 4x800 quartet to the third-fastest performance in national prep history at Nike Outdoor plus-9.

Former Mountain Brook High School golfer Gordon Sargent, who will be a junior at Vanderbilt in the fall, holds 17 points in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program.

That turned out to be a rare poor showing for Sargent, who had an exceptional sophomore season at Vanderbilt, earning SEC Player of the Year and Golfweek Men’s National Player of the Year awards. He was ranked No. 1 in final 2023 Palmer Cup Rankings and No. 2 in Golfstat ratings.

But earning PGA Tour membership through the accelerated program isn’t easy. Since 2010, only three players would have earned membership through the accelerated program: Patrick Cantlay (2012), Justin Thomas (2013) and Patrick Rodgers (2014).

Sargent is rapidly closing in on it though.

“I feel like if you play just good golf and the golf that you know you’re capable of, then you’re going to reach those 20 points without having to think about it too much,” Sargent told reporters before the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Leath maintained a weighted 4.11 GPA in the classroom. He also volunteered as part of multiple fundraising campaigns to benefit cancer research baseball, softball, and boys and girls track and field. It awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport. in association with Vestavia Rise, a school initiative.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross-country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer,

Leath joins recent Gatorade Alabama Boys Track & Field Players of the Year Maddox Hamm (2021-22, Scottsboro), Strand (2020-21, Vestavia Hills), Josiah Harry (201920, Mobile Christian) and Charles Lewis (2018-19, Sparkman), among the state’s list of former award winners.

Leath will attend the University of Virginia this fall on a track scholarship.

“Virginia got themselves a good one to compete in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) and be an impact,” Anderson said. “I think Alex has a bright future.”