Jose Luis Ballester won the US Amateur 2 over Noah Kent

CHASKA, Minn. — Arizona State senior Jose Luis Ballester became the first Spanish player to win the US Amateur, defeating Iowa sophomore Noah Kent 2 Sunday in Hazeltine in a 36-hole match on his 21st birthday.

Ballester, the only player in the world’s top 10 to reach the round of 16, took the lead on the second hole and never trailed. He joined Jon Rahm as the only players from Spain to win a USGA championship. Rahm, who played for the Sun Devils, won the US Open in 2021.

“We have a lot of Spanish players, a lot of legends,” Ballester said. “To be able to put my name in that history is great.”

Both winners earned exemptions into next year’s Masters and US Open, while Ballester also earned a spot at the British Open.

Ballester trailed for some time in his last three matches before taking over in a tough final. Dressed in a red polo, yellow shorts borrowed from the Spaniard he beat in the semifinals, Luis Masaveu, and black socks to match his country’s colors, Ballester went 3 up after four holes for two early birdies. He had a 4 lead at lunch break on a classic 82-degree day with a little late summer wind.

Kent, who entered this week as the No. 560 in the ranks of the world’s emerging players, he refused to disappear on the last day of concern.

“You don’t want to be 4 down going into an 18-hole match, but it’s been done before, and I kept telling myself that. Everyone in my corner was telling themselves that,” Kent said. “I fought like crazy over there.”

He hit a long eagle putt on No. 25 — the seventh hole on the course — to move under two. After falling behind by four with seven holes remaining, the Naples, Florida native rallied back to birdie Nos. 31, 32 and 34 to pull within one.

On the 34th hole, Hazeltine’s signature on the No. On the 16th, Ballester hit a rough patch near the tee and, after clipping a tree, landed badly in the reeds. He closed with a bogey.

But with his lead down to one, Ballester got back on track to par the final two holes. He hit a tee shot on No. 17 onto a prominent green.

“I was pumped. I could feel the adrenaline in my veins, in my arms,” ​​Ballester said.

Kent entered the basement from No. 18 tee, then it was difficult. His last chance chip went over the hole. Once victory was assured, Ballester began to cry as he thought of friends and family in Spain, including his grandmother who had been ill this summer.

“It was a tough summer back in Spain, so I feel like all those emotions have come out,” Ballester said.

Wearing a white polo shirt with the Hawkeyes logo, Kent was trying to become the first Iowa player to win the event. The 19-year-old had a clear edge in cheering on many fans wearing gold Caitlin Clark shirts in the gallery.

“I knew it was going to be this way since yesterday. I’ve had a little crush on you,” said Ballester. “When the other guy feels and holds that momentum and you see all the fans rooting for him, it can be a bit stressful. So it’s important to deal with it in a positive way.”

Kent had never trailed after the 12th hole of his second-round match until Ballester took the first lead. Kent defeated 17th-ranked amateur and Big Ten rival Jackson Buchanan of Illinois in their 18-hole semifinal match.

Ballester, who won the European Amateur last year, received a congratulatory call from fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia after his semi-final win. He excelled in the short game all week.

“I think it’s in the blood,” Ballester said. “It should be like that.”

Hazeltine was designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1962 on many acres of farmland. It is now a cul-de-sac about 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis and last hosted men’s novices in 2006. Since then, the course has seen the PGA Championship (2009), the Ryder Cup (2016) and the Women’s. The PGA Championship (2019). The Ryder Cup will return in 2029.

The event kicked off on Monday with 312 players on two courses, the 130th edition of the tournament that has helped launch many of golf’s most decorated careers on the professional tour.

Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are among the many notable names who have won the US Amateur. Jones has won the event a record five times. Woods won three times. The last European to win a US Amateur was Norway’s Viktor Hovland in 2018 at Pebble Beach.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.