Gordon Sargent will tee it up with the pros of the PGA Tour this week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and it’s not a stretch to say that’s he’s playing for an opportunity to join them on a regular basis.

After two seasons at Vanderbilt, the former Mountain Brook High School star has accumulated 16 points in the PGA TOUR University Accelerated program. A player with 20 points by the end of his third NCAA season earns PGA Tour membership.

Named to the U.S. team for the Walker Cup on Thursday, Sargent will receive two points when he plays in the 49th match between amateur teams from the United States and Great Britain/Ireland on Sept. 2-3 at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.

If he’s one of the golfers representing the United States in the World Amateur Team Championship in October, which seems likely, he’d get another point in the Accelerated Program.

That’s three points almost in the bag for Sargent, and making the cut in a PGA Tour event is worth one point. He gets that chance this week.

“I feel like if you play just good golf and the golf that you know you’re capable of, then you’re going to reach those 20 points without having to think about it too much,” Sargent said on Tuesday.

Sargent would not have to turn pro as soon as he hits 20 points. Qualifiers in the PGA TOUR University Accelerated program can activate their membership after the NCAA Championship at the end of the college season, if they prefer.

“I’m happy to take my time,” Sargent said during an appearance on “Golf Today” this week. “… It’s definitely on my mind, and I’d like to lock that up as soon as possible. I’m having a good time in college and feel like I continue to get better there, so I wouldn’t say there’s too much of a rush. It’d be something nice to have in your back pocket, but staying in college golf and getting better is only helping me at this point.”

Sargent played with golf’s best at the Masters in April and the U.S. Open this month. He missed the cut at the Masters while playing on a special invitation. Sargent won a qualifying tournament to reach the U.S. Open, where he finished tied for 39th and won the low-amateur honor.

Playing on a sponsor’s exemption, Sargent is set to tee off in the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at 1:11 p.m. CDT Thursday at the Detroit Golf Club. The tournament will be Sargent’s first appearance in a PGA Tour full-field event.

Sargent also has a sponsor’s exemption to play in the John Deere Classic next week at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

“I think of the advice I’ve gotten, it’s get as many reps as you can before you turn pro,” Sargent said. “Playing in two majors as my first two pro events was definitely nerve-racking. Kind of lacked a little bit of experience, but feel like I have a lot of takeaways, and I’m excited to kind of get things going in Detroit and, hopefully, take momentum into the John Deere next week.”

Some of Sargent’s advice has come from former Alabama All-American and current PGA Tour member Justin Thomas.

“Justin Thomas has been really good to me,” Sargent said. “I played a practice round with him in Augusta and L.A. Just kind of getting his advice. Seeing how he does things has been really important to me.”

In 2021, Sargent won the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 6A boys’ golf individual championship playing for Mountain Brook High School. Sargent’s victories also include the Alabama Golf Association’s Alabama Junior in 2019 and the State Amateur in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, Sargent won the NCAA Division I men’s golf individual championship as a freshman at Vanderbilt.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.