ARDMORE, Pa. – Ian Ball made history for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the 126th U.S. Amateur Championship, becoming the first ERAU student-athlete to compete in the prestigious event which was held on Aug. 10-16.

The Port Orange, Fla. native took on the championship's 36-hole stroke-play portion at the par 70 Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., competing against the top amateur golfers in the world.

Ball opened with a first-round score of 73 (+3) before carding a 74 (+4) in the second round for a total score of 147 (+7) to land shy of the cut line for the match play portion of the championship.

Despite not advancing to match play, Ball's appearance marked a significant moment for ERAU golf as the program was represented in the U.S Amateur for the first time. His historic appearance began with qualifying earlier this summer, advancing out of a grueling couple of rounds that accepted over 5,000 entries. Two-stage qualifying began at 48 local sites and filtered down to 19 final qualifying sites to determine the championship field of 300-plus players.

Ball opened with a three-under 70 in local qualifying on June 15 at the Black Course at Streamsong Resort in Streamsong, Fla. and earned a spot into the U.S. Amateur as the first alternate thanks to a two-under 70 at the final qualifier at Sara Bay Country Club in Sarasota, Fla. on July 20.

Out of the 312 players that qualified for the 126th U.S. Amateur, 173 earned exemptions directly into the championship field, leaving just 139 spots available through qualifying — highlighting the difficult path Ball faced just to earn a place in the field.