With a No. 560 world ranking, Hawkeye golfer Noah Kent reached U.S. Amateur final

It is the most remarkable story in the history of University of Iowa men’s golf.

Noah Kent, a 19-year-old sophomore seeking his first tournament win for the Hawkeyes, finished second Sunday in the U.S. Amateur Championship in Chaska, Minn. That’s second out of 312 players. Second out of the best amateur players in the world, ranging from ages 14 to 56.

The perks for reaching the championship match are as good as they get in golf. Kent receives entry into next year’s Masters and U.S. Open.

“We (Iowa) have a tournament the week of the Masters. I hope my coach (Tyler Stith) will excuse me from that one,” Kent joked Wednesday.

Just getting into the 64-player match play portion of the tournament was a great achievement for Kent, from Naples, Fla. Hey, just getting into the 312-player field was noteworthy.

Kent tied for the low score at the U.S. Am local qualifier in Shaker Heights, Ohio, in June, where the top 12 of 120 players advanced. In July, he shared medalist honors at the final qualifier in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Kent went into last week as the No. 560 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He started the U.S. Am as a face in the crowd of 312 players.

Then, he shot an opening round 77 in the two-round stroke play and “was in 240th place or something,” he said. His 64 in the second round helped him jump about 200 spots to make the 64-player cut and advance to match play, and away he went.

Kent defeated World No. 36 Xihaun Chang in the Round of 64, won three more matches before they got to the 18th hole, then defeated No. 17 Jackson Buchanan in an All-Big Ten semifinal Saturday. Buchanan is this year’s Big Ten Golfer of the Year, was second at the Big Ten Championship (Kent tied for 11th), and was runner-up at the 2023 NCAA Championship.

Finally, Kent lost at the last hole of the 36-hole final to Arizona State’s Jose Luis Ballester. Kent trailed by as much as four holes, but cut the gap to one before Ballester salted away the title on the final hole.

It wasn’t that Kent lost it. Ballester, who entered the tourney ranked 10th in the world, simply wouldn’t buckle.

“It was real special,” Kent said. “I fought like crazy.”

So where did this come from? Kent led the Hawkeyes in scoring average as a freshman, but that certainly was no indicator of what was to come this summer.

“It felt like it came deep down from my heart and mind,” Kent said Wednesday. “I’d been waiting for this. I know what I’m capable of and everybody around me knows what I’m capable of. The week was meant to be, to be honest.”

It didn’t hurt that Kent became a home team of sorts on the weekend, as many Iowa fans showed up to cheer for him. A lot of those wore Caitlin Clark shirts. Which may have been fitting, since the Iowa women’s basketball team reached the NCAA final again this year.

Though his home is more than 1,400 miles from Iowa City, Kent is a longtime Iowa fan. His mother is from Rock Rapids, Iowa. An uncle, Chris Kuehl, was a second-team Hawkeye football linebacker in 2005. Kent sported a Hawkeyes cap and shirt for all six days of the U.S. Am.

“I grew up loving the Hawks,” he said. “I love wearing Iowa colors. Representing the black-and-gold is an honor.”

Now Kent goes back to being a college player. He was with his team for a Wednesday morning workout, and they had a practice slated for the afternoon.

“I also have to move into my apartment,” he said.

The list of U.S. Am runners-up includes several notable former and current PGA Tour players, including current World No. 9 Patrick Cantlay. The No. 560 ranking Kent took to Hazeltine National Golf Club was bumped to No. 304 this week.

“It’s just a number,” Kent said. “It doesn’t rank how much you love it or how hard you work.

“Four years ago, I met an old Tour player who told me not to worry about being the best 15-year-old in the world, worry about being the best 25-year-old. I’m not one of those people who get caught up in money. I want to put my name in the record books.

“I love the sport so much. I know I can give so much to it. I feel like I’m just starting.”

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com