Arizona State’s José Luis Ballester celebrated his 21st birthday Sunday by becoming the first Spaniard to win the U.S. Amateur championship in its 124 years.

Of his other 20 birthdays, what compares to this, except maybe the first one?

“You cannot get better than this,” he said. “This has to be the top of them all.”

The world’s 10th-ranked amateur beat University of Iowa sophomore Noah Kent — ranked 560th on the list but seeded slightly higher than Ballester — 2-up at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

Both players left standing Sunday morning from the original 312-player field won invitations to next year’s U.S. Open and very likely the Masters. Ballester’s victory, holding off Kent at the 36th and final hole in Sunday’s championship match, brings him the shiny Havemeyer Trophy, a gold medal he wore around his neck and a spot in the British Open as well.

Nobody from Spain has done what Ballester did Sunday — not mentor Sergio Garcia, not Jon Rahm, not José María Olazábal. Before Sunday, Rahm was the only Spaniard to win a USGA championship, the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

“España has many great legends — being able to add my name into that history is pretty, pretty sweet,” Ballester said. “They’ve done many more things than what I’ve accomplished yet. But to put my name to history, especially doing something none of the Spaniards did, even the best of the best, that’s pretty special.”

Kent was ranked 41st and Ballester 47th after two days of stroke-play qualifying. Each had won five consecutive match-play matches before they met early Sunday morning for 36 holes of golf.