Kent, Blomme qualify for U.S. Junior at Ames Golf & CC
The U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier on June 12, at Ames Golf and Country Club ended in a three-way shootout for the two entries into the U.S. Junior Amateur. Noah Kent (right), of Naples, FL, and Ethan Blomme, of Bettendorf, qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, to be contested July 24-29 at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, SC.
Kent, Blomme, and Oak Grove’s Peyton Savageau all finished the single-round tournament 3-under, navigating heavy late-morning winds. The three way playoff began on hole 7, and University of Iowa commit Kent wasted no time. A strong drive and an approach to within a few feet gave Kent a tap-in birdie. With pars from Blomme and Savageau, Kent punched his golden ticket to the Junior Amateur. Blomme, a rising junior at Pleasant Valley High School, took home the second ticket after a par on the second playoff hole, #8.
Kent and Blomme (left), who both started the day on hole 10, capitalized on calmer first nine conditions. Kent scored birdies on 16, 17, and 18 and Blomme birdied 15, 16, 17, 18. After an unsatisfactory start, Blomme got his putter rolling.
“I made a really good 30-footer for par on #14 and then rolled four straight in,” Blomme said. “The back nine started playing really tough just with the wind. [. . .] Just grinded it out, you know, when I made a bogey I got it back with a birdie.”
Blomme knew he had to go low if he wanted a shot at qualifying, but believed the wind worked in his favor.
“Scores will be higher with this wind,” he said. “I feel like I’m a good wind player, being from Iowa, so the more and more it becomes windy I feel like the better shot I’ve got.”
Kent and Blomme look forward to one of junior golf’s biggest tournaments, where names like Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth have left their legacy.