Eight Advance to Hazeltine from Wykagyl
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (July 22, 2024) -- Monday's final qualifying round saw eight players punch their ticket to the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship, with Noah Kent of Naples, Fla., and Ryan Hart of Buffalo, N.Y., sharing the top spot at Wykagyl Country Club thanks to matching 5-under 67s. The two, who were teammates for a year at Gulf Coast High School in Naples, Fla., will make their U.S. Amateur debut together at Hazeltine Golf Club.
Hart, a rising senior at the University of Florida, started the day with a double bogey on the first hole, but showed resilience. He bounced back with only one additional bogey on the day. Five birdies on the front nine and three on the back helped secure a 5-under 67 and a share of the top spot.
"I hung in there pretty good and definitely hit a lot of good iron shots on the front," said Hart. "I hit some close ones so I didn't have to make too many long putts, and from there I just ran with it."
Kent, meanwhile, just finished his freshman year at the University of Iowa, where he led the team in stroke average (72.8). A birdie on the first set the pace for Kent. He added five more birdies on the day and as well as an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole.
With a birdie or better on four out of five, he noted his strategy for long par-5s.
“Fairway and greens," he said, mentioning length as one of his strengths. "Just trying to give myself a bunch of eagle puts, so that’s all you can do."
Six more will join Kent and Hart in Chaska, Minn., including some familiar Met Area faces and MGA champions in Matt Lowe, Jack Wall, and Colin Summers. Lowe, of Farmindale, N.Y., tallied six birdies on the day en route to a 4-under 68, where he tied with William Duquette for a share of third. The 2017 Ike champion and past MGA Boys' winner started hot, making birdies on four of his first six holes. He added two birdies and bogeys the rest of the way to earn his spot at the U.S. Amateur.
Wall turned in a 3-under 69, tying Kyle Downey of Fairport, N.Y., for fifth. Wall, the 2020 Met Amateur champion, entered the day with good memories at Wykagyl, having finished as low amateur and runner-up in the 2018 Met Open Championship at the club.
"I didn't make too many putts, but just kept putting myself in position to make birdies," said Wall, who will be making his second U.S. Amateur Championship appearance, having competed at Bandon Dunes in 2020.
Summers made the most of the par-5 openers on each nine, making two eagles. He holed out on the first hole from 100 yards, and made around a 20-footer on the 10th. Though those certainly boosted his score, Summers was pleased with his approach to the day and his short game. Summers finished with a 2-under 70, with Mike O'Neil of Baltimore, Md., posting the same to capture a spot as well. O'Neil is the director of operations for First Tee-Greater Baltimore.
"I'm proud of the way I kind of stuck in there and battled," said Summers, the 2021 Met Junior champion. "My mental game, putting, and 50 yards and in was really good today, so that's something that I'm really proud of."
Summers will be making his first-ever U.S. Amateur appearance, saying, "It's obviously a huge accomplishment to qualify. Whatever happens in the Amateur, I'm going to be proud of the way I fought to get in, so I'm just looking forward to going to Minnesota."
Two alternate positions were also decided, with 2023 Met Junior and Carter Cup champion Barnes Blake of Westfield, N.J., taking the first alternate slot after an eight-hole playoff with another past Carter Cup champion, Ben Carpenter of Darien, Conn.