Masters '25: Ballester, Kent pass semi test
Heralded Spaniard and unheralded Hawkeye book Augusta, Oakmont starts
The trophy is a bonus prize for U.S. Amateur finalists Noah Kent and (above) José Luis Ballester (Chris Keane/USGA)
Spain’s José Luis Ballester, a rising senior at Arizona State, and Noah Kent, a rising sophomore at Iowa, will meet to decide who will be the 2024 U.S. Amateur champion at Hazeltine National on Sunday. The winner collects a very nice trophy. The hard part and bigger prize for both, however, had already been decided in Saturday’s semifinals, when the real pressure is on and lifelong dreams were at stake.
With their semifinal victories over Ballester’s fellow Spaniard, Luis Masaveu, and Kent’s fellow American, Jackson Buchanan, the two finalists won the right to play in the 2025 Masters at Augusta National and U.S. Open at Oakmont regardless of what transpires in their 36-hole championship match.
As perks go in golf, it doesn’t get much better than that.
“You’re in the semifinal of the U.S. Am, it’s going to linger in the back of your head what really can happen if you make it to the championship match,” admitted Kent after his 2-up win over WAGR No. 17 Buchanan, a match in which Kent never trailed.
“I started crying before the interview. It means the world. I’ve had a couple of buddies play in majors, and to see my name and be in Augusta in April and be at Oakmont, you can’t really even put it into words.”
WAGR No. 560 Noah Kent knew the stakes of his unlikely championship run (Chris Keane/USGA)
Said Ballester: “I think I’m still not conscious what just happened today. It’s still an unbelievable feeling. Super grateful for the opportunity to compete in the U.S. Amateur championship. Just grateful that I’m living this moment.”
The semifinal losers are the ones who can better articulate what it all means. They’re the ones who have to swallow the bitter pill of having come so close. Ten years ago, a 19-year-old junior at Pepperdine named Frederick Wedel spoke for many of the semifinal losers before him and since when he explained how much it stung after a losing in 19 holes to eventual champion Gunn Yang at Atlanta Athletic Club.
“I was one hole away from playing in the Masters and U.S. Open,” a dejected Wedel said of something he was never able to achieve. “Obviously, those are things you dream about from a young age. Just that it was so close ... if I’d lost in the round of 16 or the quarters, it wouldn’t sting as much. It hurts.”
John Harris — the 1993 U.S. Amateur champion at age 41 who later served as a non-competing marker at Augusta after making the cut in his lone 1994 Masters start — understood what those semifinalists were going through as they got off to ragged starts.
“You know, the semis are hard,” Harris said. “This is a hard match for these guys emotionally, mentally, not physically. They’re not tired … these guys played beautifully yesterday, and they’re trying to come back today, and I’m seeing they’re a little cautious. They know what they’re playing for, and they’re not free-wheeling like they did (earlier matches).”
This is the power and the cruelty of a match-play semifinal with arguably more at stake than any other non-championship sports event in the world. These young men can’t just go through an open qualifier to get to Augusta. So the strain is considerable and the thought of the available rewards never strays too far from their minds the deeper they get into the match-play bracket.
“You’re in the semifinal of the U.S. Am, it’s going to linger in the back of your head what really can happen if you make it to the championship match,” admitted Kent on Saturday after beating Buchanan.
Buchanan — who had knocked out some heavyweights like WAGR No. 1 Luke Clanton and No. 6 Preston Summerhays to reach the semis — left ruing a match in which he could never get his game to fire the way it had all week and inspire another comeback that could have added so much more motivation to his final season at Illinois.
“Just sad to be honest,” Buchanan said of the missed opportunity. “It sucks, but I didn’t bring it today. You can’t expect to win if you don’t bring it. So it is what it is. I didn't bring it, and I don’t deserve to win, and (Noah) did his job.”
Buchanan has the kind of pedigree that bodes well for future opportunities to reach Augusta and other majors. But there are no guarantees in golf. He’ll take the positives and move forward.
“I’ve played in a major (2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst). I’ve almost won a (NCAA) national championship. So I was excited. Nerves were high. But … it’s a hard game. I didn’t bring it today, and that’s why I lost.”
Masaveu left Hazeltine “a little bit disappointed with myself” but pleased for his friend and countryman Ballester.
“I’m very happy for him. I think he works really hard, so I think he deserves it,” said Masaveu, who qualified for and made the cut in July’s Open Championship at Royal Troon. “He played better than me today. He handled it better with the pressure.”
The 21-year-old Masaveu has little reason to remain an amateur since he won’t have to wait for his tee time at Augusta in April. He’ll likely turn pro this fall and start the process of working his way into majors via tour golf.
“Yeah, probably. We’ll see. No one knows,” he said. “I’ll speak with my team and see what I’m going to do.”
For the winners, it is already a dream realized. Both Ballester and Kent crave winning at Hazeltine and putting their name on the trophy won by the likes of Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. But they could exhale a little bit Saturday and start thinking ahead to practice rounds at Augusta National in the coming months and a reservation to stay in the Crow’s Nest in April and place in the Masters. For Sunday’s winner, he’ll get a Thursday tee time with reigning Masters champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in April. The runner-up will likely get paired by another past champion — for Ballester perhaps one of the Spaniards and for Kent it could be fellow Hawkeye Zach Johnson.
Spain’s first U.S. Amateur finalist José Luis Ballester will add to Masters Spanish lore (Chris Keane/USGA)
Ballester is sure to book playing chances with green-jacketed Spaniards Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm and José María Olazábal in Augusta. He already received congratulatory calls and texts from Garcia and Rahm. He’s closest with Garcia, who hails for the same hometown in Spain and has played many rounds with him.
“It’s amazing … having the chance to learn from those guys, you know, with time maybe building a good relationship, it’s just super cool,” he said. “So again, pretty thankful to have those relationships.
“(Sergio’s) always been my mentor, and his dad has been my coach for the past seven years. So the relationship I developed with him the past few years made me almost, like, idolize him more. So it’s pretty cool. Sergio, Jon Rahm, to have all these guys rooting for you and sharing moments with you so you can learn, it’s amazing.”
Noah Kent (left) and José Luis Ballester (Chris Keane/USGA)
José Luis Ballester, 20 – Castellón, Spain
WAGR: No. 10 prior to U.S. Amateur
Rising senior at Arizona State University, where he earned honorable mention All-America honors in each of two first seasons
Missed the cut in the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills
Three top 10 finishes in 2024
2023 European Amateur champion
Played in 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool
The son of two Olympians, his parents competed in three different Olympic games – his father as a swimmer, his mother as field hockey player, who earned a gold medal in 1992 in Barcelona
Noah Kent, 19 – Naples, Fla.
WAGR: No. 560 prior to U.S. Amateur (his first USGA championship)
Rising sophomore at University of Iowa
Finished second at the 2024 Porter Cup
Recorded a third-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic
Runner-up in 2023 Western Junior Championship
Finished inside top 25 in five of seven fall events
His father, David, competed in the 1990 U.S. Junior Amateur
His stepdad, Dana Fry, was part of the design team at Erin Hills, site of the 2017 U.S. Open and 2025 U.S. Women’s Open