41st U.S. Mid-Amateur: Meet the Semifinalists

41st U.S. Mid-Amateur Home

Hugh Foley, 25, Republic of Ireland

• No. 195 in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®

• Competing in his first USGA championship

• Tied for fourth in U.S. Mid-Amateur stroke play, including a 66 at Blue Mound Golf & Country Club

• In the quarterfinals, he defeated 2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion Chad Wilfong

• Captured four Irish championships, including 2020 AIG Irish Amateur Close crown

• First player since Darren Clarke in 1990 to win both the North and South Ireland titles in same year (2022)

• Carded a final-round 68 to tie for third in the 2022 Scottish Men’s Open

• Tied for sixth in this year’s Irish Men’s Amateur Open

• Won 2021 West of Ireland Amateur Open by five strokes

Road to the Semifinals

• Shot 66-70–136 in stroke play to earn the No. 5 seed
• R64: Def. Alex Turner, 3 and 1
• R32: Def. Sam Jackson, 3 and 2
• R16: Def. Ryan Gutowski, 5 and 3
• QF: Def. Chad Wilfong, 2 up

Bryce Hanstad, 35, Edina, Minn.

• No. 4,060 in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®

• Playing in his third USGA championship and second U.S. Mid-Amateur

• Competed in 2009 U.S. Amateur and 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur

• Upended No. 1 seed and co-medalist Jake Shuman in the Round of 32

• Defeated Andrew Paysse, the brother-in-law of PGA Tour Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler, in quarterfinals

• Won 2007 Minnesota State Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club

• Captured the 2022 Minnesota Mid-Players Championship

• Born in Fargo, N.D. but was a member of the 2006 Minnesota high school state championship team

• Captain of hockey (twice) and golf (three times) teams at Jefferson High School

• Two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection at Colorado State University

• Works in customer service analytics for a healthcare and insurance company

Road to the Semifinals

• Shot 70-72–142 in stroke play to earn the No. 32 seed
• R64: Def. Connor Lyon, 3 and 2
• R32: Def. Jake Shuman, 2 up
• R16: Def. Ryan Greer, 5 and 4
• QF: Def. Andrew Paysse, 19 holes

Matthew McClean 29, Republic of Ireland

• No. 120 in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®

• Competing in his first USGA championship

• Defeated Brad Nurski, the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up, in the Round of 16

• Shot a first-round 66 and went on to tie for sixth in this year’s Lytham Trophy

• Finished second in the 2022 Irish Men’s Amateur Open, losing to Colm Campbell in a playoff

• Placed third in the Brabazon Trophy with a 72-hole score of 8-under 276

• Runner-up to Hugh Foley in this year’s North of Ireland Men’s Amateur Open

• Member of Ireland team in 2022 World Amateur Team Championship, held in Paris, France

• Made a hole-in-one on No. 3 at Royal Portrush Golf Club in 2018

• Works as a self-employed optometrist

Road to the Semifinals

• Shot 72-66–138 in stroke play to earn the No. 7 seed
• R64: Def. Christopher Anderson, 6 and 4
• R32: Def. Casey Carnes, 3 and 2
• R16: Def. Brad Nurski, 20 holes
• QF: Def. Scott Turner, 2 and 1

Josh Persons, 38, Fargo, N.D.

• Not ranked in World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®

• Competing in his sixth USGA championship, including the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay

• Playing in his first U.S. Mid-Amateur, defeated champions Stewart Hagestad and Scott Harvey in match play

• His 21-hole victory over Harvey tied the third-longest quarterfinal match in U.S. Mid-Amateur history

• Played in three U.S. Amateurs (2003, 2004, 2019) and advanced to Round of 32 in ‘03 at Oakmont C.C.

• Qualified for this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship with partner Ryan Conn

• Reinstated as an amateur in 2018 after playing on both the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Canada

• Won a state high school golf title and was a member of an undefeated state championship basketball team

• Earned an undergraduate degree in marketing from the University of Minnesota where he was a member of the golf team

• Employed as an insurance advisor

Road to the Semifinals

• Shot 73-69–142 in stroke play to earn the No. 35 seed
• R64: Def. Pat Wilson, 4 and 2
• R32: Def. Dalton Melnyk, 2 and 1
• R16: Def. Stewart Hagestad, 1 up
• QF: Def. Scott Harvey, 21 holes

Brian DePasquale is a senior manager of championship communications for the USGA. Email him at bdepasquale@usga.org