United States Amateur Championship (golf)

U.S. Amateur

Tournament information
Location	Bandon, Oregon (2020)
Established	1895
Course(s)	Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (2020)
Par	72 (2020)
Length	7,212 yd (6,595 m) (2020)
Organized by	USGA
Format	Stroke play and match play
Month played	August
Current champion
Tyler Strafaci

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. However, the golfers must maintain their amateur status at the time the events are held (unless they qualify for the tournaments by other means).

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

While most players at the U.S. Amateur advance through sectional qualifying, a few players are exempt each year.

1. Winners of the U.S. Amateur each of the last ten years.
2. Runner-up of the U.S. Amateur each of the last three years.
3. Semi-finalists of the U.S. Amateur each of the last two years.
4. Quarter-finalists of the U.S. Amateur the previous year.
5. Any player who qualified for the current year's U.S. Open.
6. Those returning 72 hole scores from the previous year's U.S. Open.
7. The amateur with the lowest score from the current year's U.S. Senior Open.
8. From the U.S. Mid-Amateur: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year.
9. 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.
10. From the U.S. Junior Amateur: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year.
11. From the U.S. Senior Amateur: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year.
12. Playing members of the two most recent Walker Cup teams.
13. Playing members of the two most recent U.S. Eisenhower Trophy teams.
14. Playing members of the current year's U.S. Men's Copa de las Américas team.
15. Winner of the current year's individual NCAA Division I Championship.
16. Winner of the British Amateur Championship each of the last five years.
17. Top fifty golfers in World Amateur Golf Ranking.
18. 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

Year	Venue	Winner	Country	Score	Runner-up
2020	Bandon Dunes Golf Resort	Tyler Strafaci	United States	1 up	Ollie Osborne
2019	Pinehurst Resort	Andy Ogletree	United States	2 & 1	John Augenstein
2018	Pebble Beach Golf Links	Viktor Hovland	Norway	6 & 5	Devon Bling
2017	Riviera Country Club	Doc Redman	United States	37th hole	Doug Ghim
2016	Oakland Hills Country Club	Curtis Luck	Australia	6 & 4	Brad Dalke
2015	Olympia Fields Country Club	Bryson DeChambeau	United States	7 & 6	Derek Bard
2014	Atlanta Athletic Club	Gunn Yang	South Korea	2 & 1	Corey Conners
2013	The Country Club	Matthew Fitzpatrick	England	4 & 3	Oliver Goss
2012	Cherry Hills Country Club	Steven Fox	United States	37th hole	Michael Weaver
2011	Erin Hills	Kelly Kraft	United States	2 up	Patrick Cantlay
2010	Chambers Bay	Peter Uihlein	United States	4 & 2	David Chung
2009	Southern Hills Country Club	An Byeong-hun	South Korea	7 & 5	Ben Martin
2008	Pinehurst Resort	Danny Lee	New Zealand	5 & 4	Drew Kittleson
2007	Olympic Club	Colt Knost	United States	2 & 1	Michael Thompson
2006	Hazeltine National Golf Club	Richie Ramsay	Scotland	4 & 2	John Kelly
2005	Merion Golf Club	Edoardo Molinari	Italy	4 & 3	Dillon Dougherty
2004	Winged Foot Golf Club	Ryan Moore	United States	2 up	Luke List
2003	Oakmont Country Club	Nick Flanagan	Australia	37th hole	Casey Wittenberg
2002	Oakland Hills Country Club	Ricky Barnes	United States	2 & 1	Hunter Mahan
2001	East Lake Golf Club	Bubba Dickerson	United States	1 up	Robert Hamilton
2000	Baltusrol Golf Club	Jeff Quinney	United States	39th hole	James Driscoll
1999	Pebble Beach Golf Links	David Gossett	United States	9 & 8	Kim Sung-yoon
1998	Oak Hill Country Club	Hank Kuehne	United States	2 & 1	Tom McKnight
1997	Cog Hill Golf & Country Club	Matt Kuchar	United States	2 & 1	Joel Kribel
1996	Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club	Tiger Woods (3)	United States	38th hole	Steve Scott
1995	Newport Country Club	Tiger Woods (2)	United States	2 up	Buddy Marucci
1994	TPC at Sawgrass	Tiger Woods	United States	2 up	Trip Kuehne
1993	Champions Golf Club	John Harris	United States	5 & 3	Danny Ellis
1992	Muirfield Village	Justin Leonard	United States	8 & 7	Tom Scherrer
1991	Honors Course	Mitch Voges	United States	7 & 6	Manny Zerman
1990	Cherry Hills Country Club	Phil Mickelson	United States	5 & 4	Manny Zerman
1989	Merion Golf Club	Chris Patton	United States	3 & 1	Danny Green
1988	The Homestead	Eric Meeks	United States	7 & 6	Danny Yates
1987	Jupiter Hills Club	Billy Mayfair	United States	4 & 3	Eric Rebmann
1986	Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club	Buddy Alexander	United States	5 & 3	Chris Kite
1985	Montclair Golf Club	Sam Randolph	United States	1 up	Peter Persons
1984	Oak Tree Golf Club	Scott Verplank	United States	4 & 3	Sam Randolph
1983	North Shore Country Club	Jay Sigel (2)	United States	8 & 7	Chris Perry
1982	The Country Club	Jay Sigel	United States	8 & 7	David Tolley
1981	Olympic Club	Nathaniel Crosby	United States	1 up	Brian Lindley
1980	The Country Club of North Carolina	Hal Sutton	United States	9 & 8	Bob Lewis
1979	Canterbury Golf Club	Mark O'Meara	United States	8 & 7	John Cook
1978	Plainfield Country Club	John Cook	United States	5 & 4	Scott Hoch
1977	Aronimink Golf Club	John Fought	United States	9 & 8	Doug Fischesser
1976	Bel-Air Country Club	Bill Sander	United States	8 & 6	C. Parker Moore Jr.
1975	Country Club of Virginia	Fred Ridley	United States	2 up	Keith Fergus
1974	Ridgewood Country Club	Jerry Pate	United States	2 & 1	John Grace
1973	Inverness Club	Craig Stadler	United States	6 & 5	David Strawn
1965–72: Stroke play
1972	Charlotte Country Club	Vinny Giles	United States	285	Mark Hayes, Ben Crenshaw
1971	Wilmington Country Club	Gary Cowan (2)	Canada	280	Eddie Pearce
1970	Waverley Country Club	Lanny Wadkins	United States	279	Tom Kite
1969	Oakmont Country Club	Steve Melnyk	United States	286	Vinny Giles
1968	Scioto Country Club	Bruce Fleisher	United States	284	Vinny Giles
1967	Broadmoor Golf Club	Bob Dickson	United States	285	Vinny Giles
1966	Merion Golf Club	Gary Cowan	Canada	285	Deane Beman
1965	Southern Hills Country Club	Bob Murphy	United States	291	Bob Dickson
1895–1964: Match play
1964	Canterbury Golf Club	William C. Campbell	United States	1 up	Ed Tutwiler
1963	Wakonda Club	Deane Beman (2)	United States	2 & 1	R. H. Sikes
1962	Pinehurst Resort	Labron Harris Jr.	United States	1 up	Downing Gray
1961	Pebble Beach Golf Links	Jack Nicklaus (2)	United States	8 & 6	Dudley Wysong
1960	St. Louis Country Club	Deane Beman	United States	6 & 4	Robert W. Gardner
1959	Broadmoor Golf Club	Jack Nicklaus	United States	1 up	Charles Coe
1958	Olympic Club	Charles Coe (2)	United States	5 & 4	Tommy Aaron
1957	The Country Club	Hillman Robbins	United States	5 & 4	Bud Taylor
1956	Knollwood Club	Harvie Ward (2)	United States	5 & 4	Chuck Kocsis
1955	Country Club of Virginia	Harvie Ward	United States	9 & 8	Bill Hyndman
1954	Country Club of Detroit	Arnold Palmer	United States	1 up	Robert Sweeny Jr.
1953	Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club	Gene Littler	United States	1 up	Dale Morey
1952	Seattle Golf Club	Jack Westland	United States	3 & 2	Al Mengert
1951	Saucon Valley Country Club	Billy Maxwell	United States	4 & 3	Joseph F. Gagliardi
1950	Minneapolis Golf Club	Sam Urzetta	United States	39th hole	Frank Stranahan
1949	Oak Hill Country Club	Charles Coe	United States	11 & 10	Rufus King
1948	Memphis Country Club	Willie Turnesa (2)	United States	2 & 1	Ray Billows
1947	Pebble Beach Golf Links	Skee Riegel	United States	2 & 1	Johnny Dawson
1946	Baltusrol Golf Club	Ted Bishop	United States	37th hole	Smiley Quick
1942–45: No championships due to World War II
1941	Omaha Field Club	Bud Ward (2)	United States	4 & 3	Pat Abbott
1940	Winged Foot Golf Club	Dick Chapman	United States	11 & 9	W. B. McCullough Jr.
1939	North Shore Country Club	Bud Ward	United States	7 & 5	Ray Billows
1938	Oakmont Country Club	Willie Turnesa	United States	8 & 7	Pat Abbott
1937	Alderwood Country Club	Johnny Goodman	United States	2 up	Ray Billows
1936	Garden City Golf Club	Johnny Fischer	United States	37th hole	Jack McLean
1935	The Country Club	Lawson Little (2)	United States	4 & 2	Walter Emery
1934	The Country Club	Lawson Little	United States	8 & 7	David Goldman
1933	Kenwood Country Club	George Dunlap	United States	6 & 5	Max Marston
1932	Baltimore Country Club	Ross Somerville	Canada	2 & 1	Johnny Goodman
1931	Beverly Country Club	Francis Ouimet (2)	United States	6 & 5	Jack Westland
1930	Merion Golf Club	Bobby Jones (5)	United States	8 & 7	Eugene V. Homans
1929	Pebble Beach Golf Links	Jimmy Johnston	United States	4 & 3	Oscar Willing
1928	Brae Burn Country Club	Bobby Jones (4)	United States	10 & 9	Philip Perkins
1927	Minikahda Club	Bobby Jones (3)	United States	8 & 7	Chick Evans
1926	Baltusrol Golf Club	George Von Elm	United States	2 & 1	Bobby Jones
1925	Oakmont Country Club	Bobby Jones (2)	United States	8 & 7	Watts Gunn
1924	Merion Golf Club	Bobby Jones	United States	9 & 8	George Von Elm
1923	Flossmoor Country Club	Max Marston	United States	38th hole	Jess Sweetser
1922	The Country Club	Jess Sweetser	United States	3 & 2	Chick Evans
1921	St. Louis Country Club	Jesse Guilford	United States	7 & 6	Robert Gardner
1920	Engineers Country Club	Chick Evans (2)	United States	7 & 6	Francis Ouimet
1919	Oakmont Country Club	Davidson Herron	United States	5 & 4	Bobby Jones
1917–18: No championships due to World War I
1916	Merion Golf Club	Chick Evans	United States	4 & 3	Robert Gardner
1915	Country Club of Detroit	Robert Gardner (2)	United States	5 & 4	John G. Anderson
1914	Ekwanok Country Club	Francis Ouimet	United States	6 & 5	Jerome Travers
1913	Garden City Golf Club	Jerome Travers (4)	United States	5 & 4	John G. Anderson
1912	Chicago Golf Club	Jerome Travers (3)	United States	7 & 6	Chick Evans
1911	The Apawamis Club	Harold Hilton	England	37th hole	Fred Herreshoff
1910	The Country Club	William C. Fownes Jr.	United States	4 & 3	Warren Wood
1909	Chicago Golf Club	Robert Gardner	United States	4 & 3	Chandler Egan
1908	Garden City Golf Club	Jerome Travers (2)	United States	8 & 7	Max H. Behr
1907	Euclid Club	Jerome Travers	United States	6 & 5	Archibald Graham
1906	Englewood Golf Club	Eben Byers	United States	2 up	George Lyon
1905	Chicago Golf Club	Chandler Egan (2)	United States	6 & 5	Daniel Sawyer
1904	Baltusrol Golf Club	Chandler Egan	United States	8 & 6	Fred Herreshoff
1903	Nassau Country Club	Walter Travis (3)	United States	5 & 4	Eben Byers
1902	Glen View Club	Louis N. James	United States	4 & 2	Eben Byers
1901	Atlantic City Country Club	Walter Travis (2)	United States	5 & 4	Walter Egan
1900	Garden City Golf Club	Walter Travis	United States	2 up	Findlay S. Douglas
1899	Onwentsia Club	Herbert M. Harriman	United States	3 & 2	Findlay S. Douglas
1898	Morris County Golf Club	Findlay S. Douglas	Scotland	5 & 3	Walter B. Smith
1897	Chicago Golf Club	H. J. Whigham (2)	Scotland	8 & 6	W. Rossiter Betts
1896	Shinnecock Hills Golf Club	H. J. Whigham	Scotland	8 & 7	Joseph G. Thorp
1895	Newport Country Club	Charles B. Macdonald	United States	12 & 11	Charles Sands

Multiple winners

Eighteen players have won more than one U.S. Amateur, through 2019:

• 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

Eleven players have won both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open Championships, through 2019:

• 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

Thirteen players have won both the U.S. Amateur and British Amateurs, through 2019:

• 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. Amateur Public Links in the same year, through 2019:

• Ryan Moore: 2004
• Colt Knost: 2007

^ 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

• Six
  • Merion Golf Club (1916, 1924, 1930, 1966, 1989, 2005)
  • The Country Club (1910, 1922, 1934, 1957, 1982, 2013)
• Five
  • Oakmont Country Club (1919, 1925, 1938, 1969, 2003)
  • Pebble Beach Golf Links (1929, 1947, 1961, 1999, 2018)
• Four
  • Chicago Golf Club (1897, 1905, 1909, 1912)
  • Garden City Golf Club (1900, 1908, 1913, 1936)
  • Baltusrol Golf Club (1904, 1926, 1946, 2000)

Future sites

Source^[3]

Exemptions

The U.S. Amateur results lead to exemptions into other tournaments. In all cases, 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)
• The following year's Masters Tournament (winner and runner-up)
• The following year's Open Championship^[4]
• The next 10 years of the Amateur Championship^[5]

Here are the other exemptions:

• The following year's Monroe Invitational (top 8 + top 20 stroke portion)^[6]
• The following year's Northeast Amateur (top 8)^[7]

References

External links

• Official site - most of the information is in the archive sections