HUDSON, Wis. – With three birdies on the scorecard through 13 holes Thursday at Troy Burne Golf Club, Ryan Conn and Josh Persons got hot at the right time, tallying five consecutive birdies to claim medalist honors by firing an 8-under 63 to earn their spot in the field at the 2027 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship.
Conn and Persons, who qualified for the championship in 2022 and missed the cut for match play by one stroke at The Country Club of Birmingham, will be joined by former University of Minnesota teammates Ben Greve and David Morgan, as well as the team of John Cantril and Davis Garner when the tournament is played May 16-20 at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis.
“These USGA events are hard to make. And for somebody like me, I'm always happy when I get another opportunity,” said Conn, who qualified for his third USGA championship Thursday. “Josh has played in a few more than I have these last few years, but we'll take our previous experience and hopefully try to make it to match play and see what happens.”
In a home game of sorts for both golfers next spring, Conn, who played collegiate golf at the University of Wisconsin, will get a big boost from his partner Persons, who advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at both Erin Hills and Blue Mound Country Club, the same two sites hosting the championship in May.
“[Persons] played both of them very well,” Conn said, “I think we'll be ready—I'm excited to do it again.”
No stranger to the national stage, Persons, a former University of Minnesota golfer, will make his 11th appearance at a USGA championship next year.
Starting on the 10th Thursday, Conn and Persons carded back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth to reach 5-under before Persons sank his birdie opportunity, a 45-foot double-breaker, at the seventh.
Sticking his tee shot to six feet at the eighth, Conn helped move his team into a share of the lead before drilling his birdie putt from 50 feet on the final hole to move him and Persons to the top of the leaderboard at 8-under 63.
Helped by his birdie from 25 feet on their final hole Thursday, Greve and Morgan carded a 7-under 64 as both will be making their fifth appearance at a USGA event next May.
“USGA events are always awesome, but we're getting old, right?” Greve said after qualifying Thursday. “We're old for this stuff here, so it's fun to sneak in.”
“Now we’ve got to find a way to beat the young kids,” said Morgan, who advances to his third U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. “I feel like we're pretty solid as a team. So, if we can get it to match play, I think we'll be tricky beat. We'll probably have to dodge some bullets from the young kids.”
Greve and Morgan got started with an eagle on their third hole Thursday, but would manage just one more birdie over their next six holes to turn in 3-under.
Carding three quick birdies to open their back nine, the two moved to 6-under before Morgan sank his birdie from 25 feet at their seventh.
Missing the green at the par-3 eighth resulted in a bogey for the former Gopher golfers, but Greve sank a clutch birdie from 15 feet to move him and Morgan into a share of second at 7-under 64.
Cantril, from Scottsbluff, Neb., and Garner, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, tallied four birdies during their opening nine Thursday to turn in 4-under for the round before the two traded birdies at the 12th and 13th to reach 6-under.
A final birdie at the last put the twosome into the clubhouse one back of the lead at 7-under 64.
The team of John Butler and Dave Christensen finished as first alternates, while the pairing of Gavin Cronkhite and Rylin Petry finished as second alternates.
Erin Hills will play host to its sixth USGA championship, and first since Maja Stark claimed the U.S. Women’s Open in 2025.
The course is one of 13 venues across the country to have hosted, or will host, both U.S. Opens, as well as both U.S. Amateur championships.
Awarded the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links before the course was officially completed, Erin Hills has also hosted the U.S. Amateur (2011), U.S. Open (2017), U.S. Mid-Amateur (2022) and U.S. Women’s Open (2025).
Erin Hills is scheduled to host the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2033.