Vanderbilt junior Gordon Sargent successfully made the cut at the U.S. Open.
Sargent fired rounds of 69 and 71 on the par-70 North Course at Los Angeles Country Club (LACC) to finish day two at even par. The cut was +2.
After 36 holes, Sargent is leading the amateurs and sits in a tie for 30th among the entire field.
In what has been an impressive tournament so far for Sargent, he hopes to remain hot for the next two days to grab the title of Low Amateur on Sunday.
What’s gone well
Sargent has shown these past two days why he is the No. 1 amateur in the world. He has looked like a seasoned veteran on the golf course, limiting big mistakes and attacking accessible hole locations.
Sargent has made a total of nine birdies over the 36 holes, a high number considering the difficulty of the golf course. He is attacking the par-5s, making four birdies on the six he has played. These signs show that Sargent is playing smart golf and is attacking scoreable holes.
Sargent has also been hitting the ball exceptionally well off the tee. In round two, he ranked second in the field in driving distance with an average of 337.5 yards. While he ranks poorly in his number of fairways hit (tied for 138th in round two), his length off the tee is letting him get away with errant tee shots into the rough as he has shorter irons into the long par-4s.
Sargent’s wedge game has also been solid this week. He has been able to stick some wedge shots close and knock in easy birdies. Hopefully, he can continue to display this touch on the weekend.
What needs work
Sargent has played fantastic golf this week. In order to secure the low-am title and get himself into contention for the overall title, he will need to continue to limit bogeys. In particular, Sargent will need to play the par-3s better as he has played them +3 this week.
Hitting more fairways on par-4s and par-5s will also allow him to get more aggressive to make birdies. The rough at LACC is extremely unpredictable and thick so hitting fairways is particularly important. If he can hit fairways and drive the ball 330+ yards, Sargent could really move up the leaderboard this weekend.
Big picture
Sargent has shown why he is the best amateur in the world this week. The pressure to make the cut is now over, and he should feel free to get aggressive this weekend.
If he continues to play at the high level he displayed on days one and two, Sargent is capable of capturing Low Amateur and bringing a medal back to Nashville.
Sargent will be teeing off on Saturday at 2:12 p.m. CDT with Collin Morikawa.
