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Masters 2023: World No. 1 amateur mistaken for Drive, Chip & Putt competitor at Augusta National

Every pro, no matter how seasoned, has had their “Welcome to the Masters” moment—that reality check when they learn they’re not on top of the world, but actually in a little over their head. For the world’s top amateur, Gordon Sargent, that moment came earlier this week when he found himself mistaken for a Drive, Chip & Putt contestant while trying to grab a bite at Player Dining.

Speaking on the Back of the Range podcast, the 19-year-old Vanderbilt sophomore told the story of his case of mistaken identity upon arriving at Augusta National.

“I tried to go into the pro shop to ask them what time I could play tomorrow,” Sargent said. “I’m like, ‘Look, I’m a player, I have my caddie right here.’ The guy’s like ‘No, you’re going to have to have your badge.’”

“Two security guards see me walking, and they’re kind of eyeing me down or whatever. I’m like, ‘Hey, can I go to player dining?’ They’re like, ‘You got your badge on you?’ I pull it out, and they’re like, ‘Is that a player one?’ and they kind of eye it down and figure out what it is.

“One of the waiters there waited on me last time I was there, a couple of weeks ago, so he remembered me. But then, I think they were like, ‘Where are the kid’s parents? Did they just send him by himself for the Drive, Chip & Putt?’ The waiter was giving me a hard time about it. I talked to him after and he was like, ‘How’d the Drive, Chip & Putt go?'”

So how was the reigning NCAA D1 men's individual champ mistaken for a 13-year-old at the most obsessively intimate and organized golf tournament on the planet? Let's chalk up it to a classic case of baby face. But if Sargent goes on to finish as the top am this year, as many expect, he should have no problem grabbing a turkey sandwich from the cafe for years to come.

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