U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 16, 2022

Josh Persons

Erin Hills

Quick Quotes

Q. He made a move on you around the turn where he won like four or five holes. Is that pretty much how it was decided this morning?

JOSH PERSONS: Yeah, and I didn't put a lot of pressure on him, to be honest. I didn't play great, and he definitely made some birdies there for a stretch around the turn. I had a chance to maybe put some pressure on him there on, what is it, 13, the par-3? And I kind of missed a very makeable putt. That kind of took the wind out of my sails, but I fought hard.

Q. You still were in it even until this last hole where you had that birdie putt there. Looked like it just moved slightly on you.

JOSH PERSONS: Yeah, I didn't hit a great putt there. It moved a little bit more than I thought it would, but it would have extended it maybe one more hole, to see chip and a chair, but didn't quite get it done.

Q. What about your whole week getting to the semifinals? You'll look at it more later, but to get this far, how did that feel?

JOSH PERSONS: It feels great. It was a long week. I had a lot of fun. I loved playing against all these guys, good golfers, great golf course. It was a great week. I wish I would have played a little bit better today, but that happens.

Q. Would you reevaluate after this performance as far as how much you play or what you might play in as the next year comes around?

JOSH PERSONS: We'll see. I mean, I don't pay too close attention. I just asked somebody what tournaments this gets you into, and they told me the next two years it gets you into this, so that's cool. I mean, I don't know. We're working men. That's priority. If you can squeeze in a golf tournament or two here and there, I'd be happy to do it.

Q. For those who don't know what a Fargo golf season is like, what is it like, and do you hit into a net in the garage during the winter? What do you do?

JOSH PERSONS: We go from probably mid-April to probably mid-October and it's a little chilly on both ends of that. The winter I think the simulators have popped up, and we do that maybe one night a week just to waste an hour or two. In the fall I like to go hunting. I put the clubs away. I don't have a problem running around with my dog chasing pheasants. We don't do a ton in the winter, but you can if you want to.

Q. I asked you this question but I'll ask you again. It just seems like at least recently there's a lot of folks coming out of Fargo that are playing high-quality golf. Is there something in their junior league or does everyone get together and play with each other?

JOSH PERSONS: Well, yeah, we've got some good golfers. Like I said, Podolak won this before; Hoge is up there, he finished 10th in the FedExCup. Yeah, like I said yesterday, it's access. We try to provide access to the kids, and I think that's really important to keep them playing, keep them competing. Now it's our turn to kind of make sure that that happens for the kids as we're getting older.