Gordon Sargent did this for the first time in his Vanderbilt career at Watersound Invitational

Gordon Sargent did something he never has Monday at the Watersound Invitational.

The senior at Vanderbilt is ranked sixth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and after the NCAA Championship in May he will be a PGA Tour member thanks to earning his card via PGA Tour University Accelerated in the fall of 2023. However, his final year as a Commodore has been a struggle, and Monday was unfamiliar territory for him.

Sargent was the fifth bag in Vanderbilt's lineup in the tournament at Shark's Tooth Golf Course in Panama City Beach, Florida, an event the Commodores have won the past two years. During his Vandy career, Sargent has never been the No. 5 bag, which is usually saved for the last player to qualify for a spot.

Where a player is at in the lineup doesn't really matter, though the top spots are usually where the top players or qualifiers are slotted. Any of the five scores can count each day in a lineup. For the 2022 NCAA individual champion, it's an unfamiliar spot during what's likely the most uncomfortable time of his career.

A former No. 1 amateur, Sargent hasn't finished in the top 10 for the Commodores as a senior. He has more rounds of 75 or higher (4) than rounds in the 60s (3). His first start this spring was T-63 at the Southwestern Invitational, where he opened with rounds of 79 and 78.

Sargent finished T-2 at the Watersound last year, but after his opening nine holes Monday, he was 7 over and beating only one golfer in the field.

He has been one of college golf's best for three years and he's talented enough to break out of whatever slump he's going through, but seeing him as the five bag is a strange sight for those who follow college golf closely.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Gordon Sargent starts tournament at 5 bag for first time at Vanderbilt