Brian Hobson
sports@mitchellnews.com
At the Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club in Southern Pines last week Mitchell High’s recent graduate Connor Warren achieved a personal goal earlier than he expected.
Warren shot a 4-under 67 to clinch a spot at the US Amateur golf championship, 3 strokes behind the leader, and 2 strokes above the cut line.
Warren, the three-time individual state champion golfer for the Mountaineers, had this to say about the experience: “The US Amateur is the biggest tournament in the world for amateur golfers. It has the strongest field compiled of the best college players and other amateurs in the world. So it means a lot to just be able to compete with the best and see how I am in comparison.”
When Warren was asked if he was surprised that he qualified in his first attempt, he said he was pleased with the way he played.
“It’s just a great experience to be there no matter the outcome and I’m fortunate to have qualified,” Warren said. “This has been a goal of mine but this was my first year attempting so it came a little earlier than expected, but I could not be happier.”
This year’s US Amateur will be held at Hazeltine National Golf Club, in Chaska, Minn. from Aug. 12 through Aug. 18, and only 312 competitors from around the globe are allowed to enter.
Aug. 12-13 will be stroke play, with the 64 lowest scores continuing on into match play over the following five days.