On Thursday, The Masters extended its reach to elite amateurs when it invited Gordon Sargent to the Masters. This was the first time that an amateur has received an invitation like this in over 20 years. Augusta National also gave a special invitation Kazuki Higa an invitation. Kazuki Higa won the Japan Golf Tour four times and was on the money list last season. Chairman Fred Ridley stated that the Masters Tournament focuses on opportunities to raise both amateur and professional golf all over the globe. “Whether they are playing at the elite amateur level or on the international stage, every player has shown their talents in the last year. We are looking forward to welcoming them to Augusta National in April.” Sargent is No. Sargent is the No. 3 player in the amateur world ranking, and amongst the growing number of American college stars. He won the NCAA individual title as a freshman at Vanderbilt last year by birdieing on the first hole of a four-man playoff against Parker Coody, Eugenio Chacarra and Ryan Burnett. He was also selected for the Palmer Cup, which matches college players from Europe and the U.S. The Masters has a long history of looking after elite amateurs. It once hosted the Walker Cup team, which was until the 1980s. The U.S. is currently invited to attend. Amateur champion and runner-up; the British Amateur champion; the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion; and the winners of the Asia-Pacific, Latin American, and Latin American amateur events it helped to create. Aaron Baddeley, an Australian amateur who won the Australian Open in 2000 at age 18, was the last to receive a special invitation. With the invitations, there are now 80 players in the field. To qualify for the April 6-9 tournament, you must win a PGA TOUR event offering full FedExCup points. Higa was invited. The Masters invites international players who have enjoyed sterling seasons but don’t have regular access to the PGA TOUR. In 2019, Shigo Imahira from Japan was the last to be invited. Higa is the No. He is ranked No. 68 worldwide and his four victories on the Japan Golf Tour, including the Dunlop Phoenix in November, one of Japan’s strongest fields.
By: The Associated Press
Title: Masters awards exemption to NCAA champion Gordon Sargent
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/news/2023/01/05/gordon-sargent-awarded-masters-exemption-ncaa-champion.html
Published Date: Wed, 04 Jan 2023 18:30:00 -0500
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