Annual golf tournament in the United States
Golf tournament
The
United States Amateur Championship
, commonly known as the
U.S. Amateur
, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the
United States Golf Association
and is currently held each August over a 7-day period.
In 1894 there were two tournaments called the "National Amateur Championship". One of them was played at
Newport Country Club
and was won by William G. Lawrence, and the other took place at
Saint Andrew's Golf Club
and was won by Laurence B. Stottard. This state of affairs prompted
Charles B. Macdonald
of the
Chicago Golf Club
to call for the creation of a national governing body to authorize an official national championship, and the Amateur Golf Association of the United States, which was soon to be renamed the
United States Golf Association
, was formed on December 22 of that year. In 1895 it organized both the first U.S. Amateur Championship and the first
U.S. Open
, both of which were played at Newport Country Club.
There are no age or gender restrictions on entry, but players must have a
handicap
index of 2.4 or less. Originally, entry was restricted to members of USGA-affiliated private clubs (and, presumably, international players who were members of private clubs affiliated with their nations' golf governing bodies), a restriction that was not lifted until 1979.
[1]
The tournament consists of two days of
stroke play
, with the leading 64 competitors then playing a knockout competition held at
match play
to decide the champion. All knockout matches are over 18 holes except for the final, which consists of 36 holes, separated into morning and afternoon 18-hole rounds. Nowadays it is usually won by players in their late teens or early twenties who are working towards a career as a
tournament professional
. Before
World War II
more top-level golfers chose to remain amateur, and the average age of U.S. Amateur champions was higher.
Many of the leading figures in the history of golf have been U.S. Amateur Champion, including
Bobby Jones
five times,
Jerome Travers
four times,
Jack Nicklaus
twice and
Tiger Woods
three times (all consecutive; the only player to win three in a row). Woods' first win, as an 18-year-old in 1994, made him the youngest winner of the event, breaking the previous record of 19 years 5 months set by
Robert Gardner
in 1909. In 2008, New Zealander
Danny Lee
became the youngest ever winner, only to be eclipsed by 17-year-old
An Byeong-hun
the following year. Before the professional game became dominant, the event was regarded as one of the
majors
. This is no longer the case, but the champion still receives an automatic invitation to play in all of the majors except the
PGA Championship
. In addition, the runner-up also receives an invitation to play in the
Masters
and the
U.S. Open
. The golfers must maintain their amateur status at the time the events are held (unless they qualify for the tournaments by other means). The USGA added an exception starting with the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship in that the tournament winner
only
may turn professional and keep his berth for the ensuing U.S. Open.
With the growth in professional golf through the latter half of the 20th century, the U.S. Amateur has become dominated by younger players destined to soon become professionals. In 1981 the USGA established a new championship called the
U.S. Mid-Amateur
for amateurs aged at least 25 years old in order to give players who had not joined the professional ranks, and those who had regained their amateur status, a chance to play against each other for a national title.
Field
[
edit
]
While most players at the U.S. Amateur advance through sectional qualifying, many players are exempt each year. Below are the exemptions:
- Winners of the U.S. Amateur each of the last ten years.
- Runner-up of the U.S. Amateur each of the last three years.
- Semi-finalists of the U.S. Amateur each of the last two years.
- Quarter-finalists of the U.S. Amateur the previous year.
- Any player who qualified for the current year's
U.S. Open
.
- Those returning 72 hole scores from the previous year's U.S. Open.
- The amateur with the lowest score from the current year's
U.S. Senior Open
.
- From the
U.S. Mid-Amateur
: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year.
- From the
U.S. Amateur Public Links
: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year. Because the Amateur Public Links was discontinued after its 2014 edition, the runner-up exemption disappeared after the 2015 U.S. Amateur, and the winner's exemption disappeared after 2016.
- From the
U.S. Junior Amateur
: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year.
- From the
U.S. Senior Amateur
: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year.
- Playing members of the two most recent
Walker Cup
teams.
- Playing members of the two most recent U.S.
Eisenhower Trophy
teams.
- Playing members of the current year's U.S. Men's Copa de las Americas team.
- Winner of the current year's individual
NCAA Division I Championship
.
- Winner of the
British Amateur Championship
each of the last five years.
- Top hundred golfers in
World Amateur Golf Ranking
.
- Winner of the current year Latin America Amateur Championship.
[2]
In all cases, the exemptions only apply if the player has not turned professional as of the tournament date.
Winners
[
edit
]
Multiple winners
[
edit
]
Eighteen players have won more than one U.S. Amateur, through 2023:
- 5 wins:
Bobby Jones
- 4 wins:
Jerome Travers
- 3 wins:
Walter Travis
,
Tiger Woods
- 2 wins:
H. J. Whigham
,
Chandler Egan
,
Robert Gardner
,
Chick Evans
,
Francis Ouimet
,
Lawson Little
,
Bud Ward
,
Willie Turnesa
,
Harvie Ward
,
Charles Coe
,
Jack Nicklaus
,
Deane Beman
,
Gary Cowan
,
Jay Sigel
Twelve players have won both the U.S. Amateur and
U.S. Open
Championships, through 2023:
- Jerome Travers
: 1907, 1908, 1912, 1913 Amateurs; 1915 Open
- Francis Ouimet
: 1914, 1931 Amateurs; 1913 Open
- Chick Evans
:^ 1916, 1920 Amateurs; 1916 Open
- Bobby Jones
:^ 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1930 Amateurs; 1923, 1926, 1929, 1930 Opens
- Lawson Little
: 1934, 1935 Amateurs; 1940 Open
- Johnny Goodman
: 1937 Amateur; 1933 Open
- Gene Littler
: 1953 Amateur; 1961 Open
- Arnold Palmer
: 1954 Amateur; 1960 Open
- Jack Nicklaus
: 1959, 1961 Amateurs; 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980 Opens
- Jerry Pate
: 1974 Amateur; 1976 Open
- Tiger Woods
: 1994, 1995, 1996 Amateurs; 2000, 2002, 2008 Opens
- Bryson DeChambeau
: 2015 Amateur; 2020 Open
- Matt Fitzpatrick
: 2013 Amateur; 2022 Open
Thirteen players have won both the U.S. Amateur and
British Amateurs
, through 2023:
- Walter Travis
: 1900, 1901, 1903 U.S.; 1904 British
- Harold Hilton
:^ 1911 U.S.; 1900, 1901, 1911, 1913 British
- Jess Sweetser
: 1922 U.S.; 1926 British
- Bobby Jones
:^ 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1930 U.S.; 1930 British
- Lawson Little
:^ 1934, 1935 U.S.; 1934, 1935 British
- Willie Turnesa
: 1938, 1948 U.S.; 1947 British
- Dick Chapman
: 1940 U.S.; 1951 British
- Harvie Ward
: 1955, 1956 U.S.; 1952 British
- Deane Beman
: 1960, 1963 U.S.; 1959 British
- Bob Dickson
:^ 1967 U.S.; 1967 British
- Steve Melnyk
: 1969 U.S.; 1971 British
- Vinny Giles
: 1972 U.S.; 1975 British
- Jay Sigel
: 1982, 1983 U.S.; 1979 British
Two players have won both the U.S. Amateur and
U.S. Junior Amateur
through 2023:
- Tiger Woods: 1994, 1995, 1996 Amateurs; 1991, 1992, 1993 Junior Amateur
- Nick Dunlap: 2023 Amateur; 2021 Junior Amateur
Two players have won both the U.S. Amateur and
U.S. Amateur Public Links
in the same year, through 2023:
^ Won both in same year.
Bobby Jones
won the
Grand Slam
in 1930, winning the U.S. Amateur,
U.S. Open
,
British Amateur
, and
British Open
.
Most times hosted
[
edit
]
- Six
- Merion Golf Club
(1916, 1924, 1930, 1966, 1989, 2005)
- The Country Club
(1910, 1922, 1934, 1957, 1982, 2013)
- Oakmont Country Club
(1919, 1925, 1938, 1969, 2003, 2021)
- Five
- Four
Future sites
[
edit
]
Year
|
Edition
|
Course
|
Location
|
Dates
|
Previous championships hosted
|
2024
|
124th
|
Hazeltine National Golf Club
|
Chaska, Minnesota
|
August 12?18
|
2006
|
2025
|
125th
|
Olympic Club
|
San Francisco, California
|
August 11?17
|
1958, 1981, 2007
|
2026
|
126th
|
Merion Golf Club
|
Ardmore, Pennsylvania
|
August 10?16
|
1916, 1924, 1930, 1966, 1989, 2005
|
2027
|
127th
|
Oak Hill Country Club
|
Pittsford, New York
|
August 9?15
|
1949, 1998
|
2029
|
129th
|
Inverness Club
|
Toledo, Ohio
|
August 13?19
|
1973
|
2030
|
130th
|
Atlanta Athletic Club
|
Johns Creek, Georgia
|
August 12?18
|
2014
|
2031
|
131st
|
Honors Course
|
Ooltewah, Tennessee
|
August 11?17
|
1991
|
2032
|
132nd
|
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
|
Bandon, Oregon
|
TBD
|
2020
|
2033
|
133rd
|
Chambers Bay
|
University Place, Washington
|
TBD
|
2010
|
2034
|
134th
|
The Country Club
|
Brookline, Massachusetts
|
TBD
|
1910, 1922, 1934, 1957, 1982, 2013
|
2036
|
136th
|
Scioto Country Club
|
Upper Arlington, Ohio
|
TBD
|
1968
|
2038
|
138th
|
Pinehurst Resort
|
Pinehurst, North Carolina
|
TBD
|
1962, 2008, 2019
|
2041
|
141st
|
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
|
Bandon, Oregon
|
TBD
|
2020, 2032
|
2047
|
147th
|
Oakland Hills Country Club
|
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
|
TBD
|
2002, 2016
|
2051
|
151st
|
Saucon Valley Country Club
|
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
|
TBD
|
1951
|
Source
[3]
[4]
Exemptions
[
edit
]
The U.S. Amateur results lead to exemptions into other tournaments. Except for the U.S. Open exemption for the winner, the exemption holds only if the golfer retains their amateur status. All the exemptions listed below pertain to only the winner of the U.S. Amateur, unless otherwise stated.
Here are the major exemptions:
- The next 10 years of the U.S. Amateur
- The next 3 years of the U.S. Amateur (runner-up)
- The next 2 years of the U.S. Amateur (semi-finalists)
- The following year's U.S. Amateur (quarter-finalists)
- The following year's
U.S. Open
(winner and runner-up) (winner is permitted to turn professional before the tournament)
- The following year's
Masters Tournament
(winner and runner-up)
- The following year's
Open Championship
[5]
- The next 10 years of the
Amateur Championship
[6]
Here are the other exemptions:
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
- Official site
- most of the information is in the archive sections
|
---|
U.S. Open
| |
---|
Ryder Cup
| |
---|
Presidents Cup
| |
---|
Open Championship
| |
---|
Other events
|
- Phoenix Open
(CBS Super Bowl years 2007, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021)
- The Honda Classic
(1987?present, except Winter Olympic years in 2018 and 2022)
- WGC-Mexico Championship
(2017?present)
- Valspar Championship
(2007?present)
- Arnold Palmer Invitational
(1987?present)
- Shell Houston Open
(2007?present)
- Valero Texas Open
(2012?present)
- WGC-Cadillac Match Play
(2007?present, except Winter Olympic years 2010 and 2014)
- The Players Championship
(1988?present)
- Deutsche Bank Championship
(2007?present)
- The Northern Trust
(alternates with CBS, 2022-)
- BMW Championship
(2007?present, alternates with CBS, 2022-)
- The Tour Championship
(2007?present, alternates with CBS, 2022-)
- Mayakoba Golf Classic
(2020-present)
- Hero World Challenge
(2007?present)
- QBE Shootout
(2007?2013, 2017?present)
| Majors and
special events
| |
---|
Former events
| |
---|
|
---|
Key figures
| |
---|
Related articles
| |
---|