MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 6, 2023

Gordon Sargent

Quick Quotes

Q. You've made your debut here at the Masters. What did you think?

GORDON SARGENT: Kicked my butt out there. I actually drove it really well out there. Just really sloppy around the greens and on the greens. But I talked to my caddie at every single hole. We're at Augusta at the Masters, how can you complain?

Very special out there. I obviously didn't have my best stuff and I'm a little disappointed, but I have one more crack at it tomorrow.

Q. Is it hard to realize that you're here? Did you have to pinch your arm?

GORDON SARGENT: Yeah, it didn't really dawn on me that I was playing in the Masters until they announce your name and stuff. A little bit. My caddie kind of keeps me grounded in that aspect too.

Q. You still have a couple of years left in school. Do you consider turning pro earlier?

GORDON SARGENT: Not really. Not at the moment. Like playing with the pros, you can understand what you need to work on. College is the perfect time for that. Still planning on staying four years and getting my game to where it needs to be.

Q. Growing up, did you do any other sports considering your stroke or your length?

GORDON SARGENT: I played basketball and baseball. So definitely kind of feel like this helped a little bit, just the athletic ability.

Q. Probably the baseball part.

GORDON SARGENT: Yeah, for sure.

Q. And how do you see your rivalry, if there is any, with Ludvig Aberg?

GORDON SARGENT: I don't think there's any rivalry there. Ludvig is obviously a great player. We've played with each other a pretty good amount in college golf. It's fun to see the success he's having. Once he turns pro this summer, he'll be great there.

Q. What's it like just being out here today?

GORDON SARGENT: It's pretty special. Kind of like, you hit a bad shot, you just kind of think you're at the Masters playing at Augusta National, and you can't be mad. Like I obviously wanted to play better, but it's like this opportunity, this experience so far has been amazing.

Look forward to trying to play a good round tomorrow and hopefully make the weekend.

Q. Do you make any changes tomorrow?

GORDON SARGENT: I just need to clean it up around the greens and on the greens. My speed is pretty terrible today. Just kind of focusing on that. Go get a few reps on the practice green and get some rest for tomorrow.

Q. You're notoriously an early riser at college tournaments. What time did you wake up this morning for a 1:00 tee time?

GORDON SARGENT: Like 6:45. It will be good I'll go to sleep early tonight. It was weird. I wanted to eat lunch before the round, but that's like 10:45. So I had an early breakfast but just wasn't hungry. I can't sleep till 10:00. So it was kind of just get up early.

Q. What's for breakfast? Pancakes obviously?

GORDON SARGENT: Yeah.

Q. Normally in tournaments you're pretty stoic, pretty laser focused. Did you allow yourself to, again, be a 19-year-old and look at the galleries here at Augusta National a little bit?

GORDON SARGENT: A little bit. I played with Brian Harman yesterday and got some good advice, Monday through Wednesday you can give them attention. But Thursday through Sunday he's kind of just straight ahead.

Kind of took that a little bit and obviously one-offs to say hi to my friends and stuff. But tried to keep it pretty straightforward.

Q. You're playing with Zach Johnson, Masters champion, Ryder Cup captain. That's someone that you have a little distance advantage over. When you're playing with him and seeing how he navigates himself around this golf course, what do you think of something like that?

GORDON SARGENT: He stays really committed to his game plan and hits it in the spots he needs to hit it. Earlier I got behind the eight ball because I was trying to do too much. Felt like I played solid after 11. My caddie and I focused on we're just going to do the right thing, whether that's hitting 25 feet from 100 yards, that's what it is.

Just seeing him stick to his game plan all day. He didn't play how he wanted to. But also being out there with Jason Day, when he had his good numbers, he was going at the pin, and when he didn't, he was hitting it to 25 feet and relying on his putter. That's something I take away.

Q. You had probably more expectations or more hype coming in than others amateurs in the field. You're still enjoying the fact you're a teenager at the Masters, and that can be exciting.

GORDON SARGENT: Sure. It gives you some confidence that people expect you to play well. I don't think it really adds any pressure because I'm out here at Augusta having fun. Whether I play good or bad, I'm still going to be the same guy. So the expectations are cool and all. It gives you a little confidence. Sadly, I didn't live up to those today. No, it's cool.