For Mountain Brook’s Gordon Sargent, the spring will be “unlike any other.”

Sargent, the No. 3 ranked amateur in the world, will be playing in the Masters Tournament in April. The Vanderbilt standout and the NCAA defending champion is the first amateur to accept a special invitation to the Masters since 2000.

A graduate of Mountain Brook High School where he won individual and team state titles, Sargent was the first college freshman since 2007 to win the individual title at the NCAA championship.

“There is simply not a greater honor in golf than to be invited to play in the Masters Tournament,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “I also believe this is a huge day for college and amateur golf as Augusta National Golf Club has extended a special exemption to Gordon to play in this year’s Masters as the reigning NCAA champion.”

Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, announced today that Kazuki Higa, six-time winner of the Japanese Golf Tour, also accepted an invitation.

“The Master’s Tournament prioritizes opportunities to elevate both amateur and professional golf around the world,” Ridley said. “Thus, we have extended invitations to two deserving players not otherwise qualified.

“Whether on the international stage or at the elite amateur level, each player has showcased their talent in the past year.”

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.