The sophomore from Iowa had a sensational week and summer as he reached the rarefied amateur golf atmosphere of the U.S. Amateur Championship play. It’s the biggest story in the history of Hawkeyes men’s golf.
University of Iowa golfer Noah Kent finished second in the U.S. Amateur and qualified for the 2025 Masters and U.S. Open. (Graphic by University of Iowa Athletics)
It is the most remarkable story in the history of men’s golf at the University of Iowa.
Noah Kent, a 19-year-old sophomore seeking his first tournament win for the Hawkeyes, finished second at the U.S. Amateur Championship in Chaska, Minnesota, on Sunday, ranking second among 312 players and second among the world’s best amateur players ages 14-56.
The perks for reaching the championship match are as good as any in golf, with Kent earning berths in the Masters and next year’s US Open.
“We (Iowa) have a tournament the week of the Masters. I hope my coach (Tyler Stith) will excuse me from that,” Kent joked on Wednesday.
For Kent, of Naples, Florida, just making it to the match play portion of the 64-player tournament was a major accomplishment. Hey, just the fact he made it into the 312-player field was remarkable.
Kent had the lowest score at the local US Am qualifier in Shaker Heights, Ohio in June, where the top 12 of 120 players advanced, and shared the medal at the final qualifier in Shaker Heights, Ohio in July.
Kent entered the world amateur golf rankings last week as the No. 560 player. He began the Americans as the face among the 312 players aged 14 to 56.
Then he shot a 77 in the first round of two-round stroke play and “was tied for 240th or something,” he said. His second-round 64 helped him jump about 200 spots, make the 64-man cut and advance to match play, and he was on the road.
Kent defeated world No. 36 Xihaun Chang in the round of 64, won three more matches before they reached the 18th hole, then defeated No. 17 Jackson Buchanan in an All-Big Ten semifinal on Saturday. Buchanan is this year’s Big Ten Golfer of the Year, finished second at the Big Ten Championship (Kent finished 11th) and is the runner-up at the 2023 NCAA Championship.
Kent eventually lost to Arizona State’s Jose Luis Ballester on the final hole of the 36-hole final. Kent trailed by as many as four holes, but was able to close the gap to one before Ballester won the title on the final hole.
It wasn’t that Kent had lost control. Ballester, who entered the tournament ranked 10th in the world, simply refused to let it get him down.
“It was really special,” Kent said. “I fought like crazy.”
So where does this come from? Kent had the Hawkeyes’ best scoring average as a freshman, but that certainly wasn’t an indication of what would happen this summer.
“It felt like it came from deep within my heart and mind,” Kent said Wednesday. “I’ve been waiting for this. I know what I’m capable of and everyone around me knows what I’m capable of. Honestly, this week was destined.”
It didn’t hurt that Kent was somewhat of a home team over the weekend, as plenty of Iowa fans came out to cheer him on, many of them wearing Caitlin Clark shirts. Which was perhaps fitting, since the Iowa women’s basketball team reached the NCAA finals again this year.
Although his home is over 1400 miles from Iowa City, Kent is a lifelong Iowa fan. His mother is from Rock Rapids, Iowa. His uncle, Chris Kuehl, was a linebacker on the Hawkeyes’ second team in 2005. Kent wore a Hawkeyes cap and shirt for all six days of the US Am.
“I grew up loving the Hawks,” he said. “I love wearing the colors of Iowa. It’s an honor to represent the black and gold.”
Now Kent is back in college, he was at practice with his team on Wednesday morning and had a practice scheduled for the afternoon.
“I also have to move into my apartment,” he said.
The list of runners-up at the U.S. Am Championship includes several notable former and current PGA Tour players, including current world No. 9 Patrick Cantlay. Kent’s 560th ranking, which he took with him to Hazeltine National Golf Club, was upgraded to 304th this week.
“It’s just a number,” Kent said. “It doesn’t indicate 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, but rather about being the best 25-year-old. I’m not one of those people who cares about 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 getting started.”
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