AUGUSTA, Ga. – Noah Kent got through four holes of his practice round on Tuesday morning before he needed to come in.
As the reigning U.S. Amateur runner-up, the 20-year-old Kent was afforded the opportunity to stay in Augusta National Golf Club’s famed Crow’s Nest, the 1,200-square-foot, four-bedroom suite located atop Augusta National’s clubhouse. Kent shared the tight quarters on Monday night with fellow amateurs Josele Ballester, Justin Hastings and Hiroshi Tai, and when he woke up the next morning, he felt a little stiff.
“Just slept on my neck wrong,” Kent said. “I don’t necessarily fit in the bed, so, yeah, we’re good.”
After seeing the physio, Kent joined idol Rory McIlroy for the second nine. Kent’s relationship with McIlroy stems from a meeting at the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, which was designed by Kent’s stepdad, Dana Fry. They connected again a few months later at a TaylorMade shoot at another of Fry’s courses, Shelter Harbor in Charleston, Rhode Island, and upon returning home, Kent, who was 13 years old at the time, informed his parents that he was quitting hockey.
“He tells his mom and I, ‘I’ve decided all I’m going to do is play golf, I’m going to play on the PGA Tour, and I’m going to win,’” Fry recalled. “And after that, every night for two or three years, you’d walk by his room, and he’d have his iPad out and all you would hear is the sound of a guy hitting a golf ball.”
Through the years, McIlroy has been a great resource for the University of Florida sophomore, who is sitting out this spring after transferring from Iowa last winter. Kent made his PGA Tour debut a couple weeks ago in Houston and fell ill to food poisoning early in the week, missing a practice round with McIlroy and later missing the cut. McIlroy texted with Kent frequently during that tournament, something that has continued in the leadup to the Masters.
McIlroy spent considerable time with Kent on Tuesday, offering him detailed advice on certain shots and holes, including why McIlroy hits 3-wood off the tee on the par-4 17th and how one should always know where Rae’s Creek is when putting.
After the practice round, McIlroy came up with Fry and Kent’s mom, Trisha, and said of Kent: “Don’t worry. He’s got it.”
“Always looked up to him,” Kent said. “Always kind of was the guy that I followed growing up. He’s the reason why I play golf today. For him to spend a little time with me means the world.”
Kent’s cool pairings aren’t over, either. He’s grouped the first two rounds with 67-year-old Bernhard Langer, who was next to him on the trainer’s table on Tuesday.
“This is his 41st Masters, I think,” Kent said. “I mean, double my age. It’s unbelievable.”
