THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS — LSU junior Brian Noonan followed a 3-under par 69 in the first round with a 2-under 70 in the final round Thursday at The Player Course at The Woodlands Country Club to earn one of four spots in the 106th United States Amateur Championship.
Noonan posted a two-round total of 5-under 139 to finish the tournament in third place and earn his first trip to the U.S. Amateur, which will be hosted by Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., from Aug. 21-27.
“The Player Course is a good ball striker’s golf course and I did that pretty well this week,” Noonan said. “I hit a lot of fairways and greens, and I putted the ball really well once I got the ball on the green. Like Coach (Chuck) Winstead always tells us, I just tried to stay in the present and play one shot at a time. It paid off for me this week.”
Each of the 109 competitors were forced to deal with lengthy weather delays for much of the tournament as the course soaked up more than six inches of rain in three days. Noonan said that he was able to stay mentally focused on his game despite the delays because of the lessons Winstead has instilled in the team.
“It has rained a lot here the last couple of days and turned a 7,100 yard golf course into one that’s much longer,” Noonan said. “I really wore out my long irons in both rounds, but I didn’t let the weather and the delays get to me. I was able to stay focused on what I was doing out there and couldn’t be happier with how things turned out.
“Coach Winstead works a lot with us on improving the mental aspect of our game whether we’re practicing or playing in tournaments. I was able to use a lot of what he’s taught me to stay focused, and there’s no doubt it helped me this week.”
Noonan is set to compete in the Austin Men’s City Championship from Aug. 3-6 before beginning his preparations for the U.S. Amateur. He said that he looks forward to his first appearance in the most prestigious amateur championship sponsored by the United States Golf Association.
“I’m really excited to play in the U.S. Amateur, but I’ll approach it just like I would any other tournament,” Noonan said. “It’ll be a new experience for me but one I’m looking forward to. I’m going to continue to work on my mental game and just try to play everything one shot at a time and stay focused on what I’m doing.”