Brian Hobson
brianhobson@gmail.com
Local athlete Connor Warren is ready to compete at the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan next month.
Warren, a senior at Mitchell High School, shot a 2-under 68 at a U.S. Junior Amateur championship qualifier at Spring Hill, Tenn.’s Towhee Club on May 29.
The three-time NCHSAA 1A Individual champion tied for second in his qualifier, finishing 3 strokes behind Jake Allen of Blacksburg, Va. Warren will participate in the July 22-27 tournament at Oakland Hills Country Club’s North and South courses.
The US Junior Amateur field is composed of the 264 top 19-and-under golfers. The golfers will play two rounds of stroke play before the top 64 enter match play to determine the overall champion. The winner receives an invitation to the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
When asked about when he started truly focusing on golf, Warren responded “I think when I started seeing more success in golf — like even the junior Golf Camp when I won that — I was like, okay, I’m I’m not bad at this. I love winning. And that’s when it started.”
This wasn’t the first time Warren attempted to qualify for the US Junior. For Warren, missing the cut the past two years was hard. When asked how qualifying felt after two close misses, Warren said, “It feels huge. I’ve been trying to for the past three years, not got in any of them, but finally did this year, so I’m super excited.”
Warren will appear in this year’s US Junior Amateur on July 22 and July 23. Though the television schedule is yet to be finalized, coverage of the event is expected on Peacock TV.