Luke Colton wins Terra Cotta for second straight year; Noah Kent fifth in Masters tune-up
Luke Colton wins Terra Cotta for second straight year; Noah Kent fifth in Masters tune-up
Luke Colton took all the drama out of the final round of the 29th annual Terra Cotta Invitational.
The high school junior from Frisco, Texas, shot a 4-under 68 Sunday at Naples National Golf Club to finish a commanding eight-stroke victory and earn his second consecutive Terra Cotta championship. He is just the second golfer in tournament history to win consecutive titles, joining current LIV Golf pro Caleb Surratt (2021 and 2022).
Colton shot 14-under at the Terra Cotta, tying Surratt for the lowest 54-hole score ever at the event. In his two victories at Naples National, Colton shot a staggering 25-under par combined.
'I don't really know what it is,' he said. 'I think I read the greens really well and that the course sets up for me nice off the tee. My game fell in a good spot and I guess I was just able to put it all together this week.'
Colton, who has verbally committed to Vanderbilt, grabbed control of the Terra Cotta during Saturday's second round, carding a 65, the day's best score by three strokes. With a three-shot lead over Logan Reilly of Lovettsville, Va., heading into Sunday, Colton struck with his aggressive approach in the final round.
'When you're playing with the lead, you've done something right so far,' he said. 'So I always keep that same mentality and keep attacking the pins and not let off the gas. Just try and make some birdies out there and that worked out pretty well.'
Colton birdied three of his first four holes Sunday to pad his lead. After another birdie on No. 14, his sixth of the round, he dropped to 15 under. But a bogey on par-4, No. 16 kept him from setting Terra Cotta's all-time scoring record.
'This was a great field with a lot of great juniors and top amateurs here,' he said. 'So to be able to pull it out with one of the strongest fields is pretty special.'
Reilly and Kihei Akina of Alpine, Utah, tied for second place at 6 under while Miles Russell, the nation's No. 1 ranked junior, placed fourth at 5 under.
Noah Kent finishes in fifth place at Terra Cotta in Masters tune-up
Naples resident Noah Kent had a vocal cheering section at the Terra Cotta for a couple of reasons. For one, the former Gulf Coast High standout is a member at Naples National and is a familiar presence at the course. Second, the 20-year-old will play in next week's Masters Tournament after qualifying last summer with a runner-up finish at the U.S. Amateur.
Kent, who transferred last December from Iowa to the University of Florida, hadn't played a tournament in nearly three months before making his PGA Tour debut in last week's Texas Children's Houston Open. The amateur shot 4 over in the first two rounds, failing to make the cut.
In his final event before heading to Augusta National, Kent got off to a rough start Sunday with four bogeys on his first eight holes, However, he settled in and shot 4 under on the back nine to end up at even par and 4 under for the tournament.
'I could have packed it in pretty easily if I wanted to and just been like I'm playing next week,' Kent said. 'But I'm really happy that I didn't. Made four birdies, so that's something to build off of.'
Kent said the speed of the greens at Naples National is comparable to Augusta, though the Masters course has a bit more contour movement.
'But it's a really good ramp-up for me,' he said. 'The wind was blowing, so it was a good test before I head up there.'
Kent, who was catching a flight to Georgia on Sunday after the Terra Cotta, said he may have to wait until Tuesday to start his Masters preparation with heavy rains in the forecast for Augusta Monday.
'It may just be Tuesday, Wednesday, and then hopefully I don't puke on the first tee on Thursday,' he said.
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