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 The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

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 Newport Country Club, is a historic private golf club in the northeastern United States, located in Newport, Rhode Island. Founded in 1893, it hosted both the first U.S. Amateur Championship and the first U.S. Open in 1895. History Theodore H ...

and was won by William G. Lawrence, and the other took place at

Saint Andrew's Golf Club The Saint Andrew's Golf Club is a golf club located in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, United States. History Founded in 1888 by John Reid of Dunfermline, Scotland, the club is the oldest golf club in the United States. The club crest features a ...

and was won by Laurence B. Stottard. This state of affairs prompted

Charles B. Macdonald Charles Blair Macdonald (November 14, 1855 – April 21, 1939) was a major figure in early American golf. He built the first 18-hole course in the United States, was a driving force in the founding of the United States Golf Association, won the f ...

of the

Chicago Golf Club Chicago Golf Club is a private golf club in the central United States, located in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. The oldest 18-hole course in North America, it was one of the five founding clubs of the United States Golf Association ...

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

, 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. The tournament consists of two days of

stroke play Stroke play, also known as medal play, is a scoring system in the sport of golf in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes. In stroke play, the winner is the player who has taken the fewest strokes over the ...

, with the leading 64 competitors then playing a knockout competition held at

match play Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 h ...

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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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 Jerome Dunstan "Jerry" Travers (May 19, 1887 – March 29, 1951) was one of the leading amateur golfers of the early 20th century. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1907, 1908, 1912 and 1913, the New Jersey Amateur three times, and the Metropolitan Amateu ...

four times,

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tou ...

twice and

Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. * * * Woods is widely regarded as ...

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 The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...

. 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 The U.S. Mid-Amateur, often called the Mid-Am for short, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for post-college amateur golfers, organized by the USGA. It was first played in at Bellerive Country Club in Creve Coeur, Missouri, ...

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, 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

: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year. #From the

U.S. Amateur Public Links The U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, was a men's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the United States Golf Association. The USGA typically cal ...

: 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 The United States Junior Amateur Championship is one of the fourteen U.S. national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association. It is open to amateur boys who are under 19 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA Ha ...

: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year. #From the

U.S. Senior Amateur The United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship is a national tournament for amateur golf competitors at least 55 years of age. It is operated by the United States Golf Association (USGA). The tournament starts with 36 holes of stroke pla ...

: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year. #Playing members of the two most recent

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is ...

teams. #Playing members of the two most recent U.S.

Eisenhower Trophy The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958, it is named after Dwight D. Eise ...

teams. #Playing members of the current year's U.S. Men's Copa de las Américas 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 fifty golfers in

World Amateur Golf Ranking The World Amateur Golf Ranking for men was introduced by The R&A, the governing body of the sport of golf outside the United States and Mexico, on 23 January 2007. It is based on the results of over 2,600 amateur tournaments per year (and amateurs ...

. #Winner of the current year Latin America Amateur Championship. In all cases, the exemptions only apply if the player has not turned professional as of the tournament date.

Winners

Multiple winners

Eighteen players have won more than one U.S. Amateur, through 2021: * 5 wins: Bobby Jones * 4 wins:

* 3 wins: Walter Travis,

* 2 wins:

H. J. Whigham Henry James Whigham (24 December 1869 – 17 March 1954) was a Scottish writer and amateur golfer. He won the U.S. Amateur golf tournament in 1896 and 1897. Following his first win in the U.S. Amateur, he wrote a golf instruction book. In 1896 he ...

, Chandler Egan, Robert Gardner, Chick Evans, Francis Ouimet,

Lawson Little William Lawson Little Jr. (June 23, 1910 – February 1, 1968) was an American professional golfer who also had a distinguished amateur career. Little was born in Newport, Rhode Island, and lived much of his early life in the San Francisco area, ...

Bud Ward Marvin Harvey "Bud" Ward (May 1, 1913 – January 2, 1968) was an American golfer best known for twice winning the U.S. Amateur, in 1939 and 1941. Ward was born in Elma, Washington. He excelled as an amateur golfer, winning the U.S. Amateur tw ...

Willie Turnesa William P. Turnesa (January 20, 1914 – June 16, 2001) was an American amateur golfer, best known for winning two U.S. Amateur titles and the British Amateur. He was one of seven famous golfing brothers; Phil (1896-1987), Frank (1898-1949), ...

Harvie Ward Edward Harvie Ward, Jr. (December 8, 1925 – September 4, 2004) was an American golfer best known for his amateur career. He is best known for winning both the U.S. Amateur (twice) and the British Amateur. Born in Tarboro, North Carolina, Ward a ...

Charles Coe Charles Robert Coe (October 26, 1923 – May 16, 2001) was an American amateur golfer who is considered by many to be one of the greatest American amateurs in history. A two-time U.S. Amateur winner, Coe never turned professional either becau ...

Deane Beman } Deane R. Beman (born April 22, 1938) is an American professional golfer, golf administrator. He was the second commissioner of the PGA Tour, serving from 1974 to 1994. Early years Born in Washington, D.C., Beman attended the University of Mar ...

, Gary Cowan,

Jay Sigel Robert Jay Sigel (born November 13, 1943) is an American professional golfer. He enjoyed one of the more illustrious careers in the history of U.S. amateur golf, before turning pro in 1993 at age 50, when he became a member of the Senior PGA Tou ...

Twelve players have won both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open Championships, through 2022: *

: 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 *

: 1934, 1935 Amateurs; 1940 Open *

Johnny Goodman John George Goodman (December 28, 1909 – August 8, 1970) was the last amateur golfer to win the U.S. Open, in 1933, and also won the U.S. Amateur in 1937. Born to Lithuanian immigrants in South Omaha, Nebraska, Goodman was orphaned at the ...

: 1937 Amateur; 1933 Open * Gene Littler: 1953 Amateur; 1961 Open *

Arnold Palmer Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...

: 1954 Amateur; 1960 Open *

: 1959, 1961 Amateurs; 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980 Opens * Jerry Pate: 1974 Amateur; 1976 Open *

: 1994, 1995, 1996 Amateurs; 2000, 2002, 2008 Opens *

Bryson DeChambeau Bryson James Aldrich DeChambeau (born September 16, 1993) is an American professional golfer. He has won eight times on the PGA Tour including one major championship, the 2020 U.S. Open. As an amateur, DeChambeau became the fifth player in his ...

: 2015 Amateur; 2020 Open *

Matt Fitzpatrick Matthew Thomas Fitzpatrick (born 1 September 1994) is an English professional golfer. After winning the 2013 U.S. Amateur, he later won his first professional tournament at the 2015 British Masters. In 2022 he won his first major championship a ...

: 2013 Amateur; 2022 Open Thirteen players have won both the U.S. Amateur and

British Amateur The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside the UK) is a golf tournament which has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 1885 except during the two World Wars, and in 1 ...

s, through 2021: * Walter Travis: 1900, 1901, 1903 U.S.; 1904 British *

Harold Hilton Harold Horsfall Hilton (12 January 1869 – 5 May 1942) was an English amateur golfer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He won The Open Championship twice, The Amateur Championship four times, and the U.S. Amateur Championship once. B ...

:^ 1911 U.S.; 1900, 1901, 1911, 1913 British *

Jess Sweetser Jesse William Sweetser (April 18, 1902 – May 27, 1989) was an amateur golfer, best known as the first American-born player to win the British Amateur. Early life Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Sweetser later attended Phillips Exeter Academy and ...

: 1922 U.S.; 1926 British * Bobby Jones:^ 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1930 U.S.; 1930 British *

:^ 1934, 1935 U.S.; 1934, 1935 British *

: 1938, 1948 U.S.; 1947 British * Dick Chapman: 1940 U.S.; 1951 British *

: 1955, 1956 U.S.; 1952 British *

: 1960, 1963 U.S.; 1959 British * Bob Dickson:^ 1967 U.S.; 1967 British *

Steve Melnyk Steven Nicholas Melnyk (born February 26, 1947) is a former American professional golfer and golf sportscaster best known for his success as an amateur golfer. Melnyk won both the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur. Early years Melnyk was born ...

: 1969 U.S.; 1971 British * Vinny Giles: 1972 U.S.; 1975 British *

: 1982, 1983 U.S.; 1979 British Two players have won both the U.S. Amateur and

in the same year, through 2021: * 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,

, and

British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later ...

Most times hosted

*Six ** Merion Golf Club (1916, 1924, 1930, 1966, 1989, 2005) **

The Country Club The Country Club, located in Brookline, Massachusetts, is the oldest golf-oriented country club in the United States. (The Philadelphia Cricket Club, founded in 1854, was the first country club for any sport.) It holds an important place in ...

(1910, 1922, 1934, 1957, 1982, 2013) **

Oakmont Country Club Oakmont Country Club is a country club in the eastern United States, located mostly in Plum with only a very small portion of the property located in Oakmont, suburbs of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania. Established in 1903, its golf course ...

(1919, 1925, 1938, 1969, 2003, 2021) *Five ** Pebble Beach Golf Links (1929, 1947, 1961, 1999, 2018) *Four **

(1897, 1905, 1909, 1912) **

Garden City Golf Club The Garden City Golf Club is a private golf course in Garden City, New York. The club was founded in 1899, and is also known as the "Garden City Men's Club" or simply the "Men's Club" to distinguish it from the Garden City Country Club, and Cher ...

(1900, 1908, 1913, 1936) **

Baltusrol Golf Club The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36- hole golf club in the eastern United States, located in Springfield, New Jersey, about west of New York City. It was founded in 1895 by Louis Keller. In 1985, Baltusrol became the first club to h ...

(1904, 1926, 1946, 2000)

Future sites

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is also slated to host in 2041.
Oakland Hills Country Club is slated to host in 2047.
Source

Exemptions

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 The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first ma ...

(winner and runner-up) * The following year's

Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

* The next 10 years of the

Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside the UK) is a golf tournament which has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 1885 except during the two World Wars, and in 1 ...

Here are the other exemptions: * The following year's

Monroe Invitational The Monroe Invitational Championship is an annual amateur golf tournament in the United States, played since 1937 at Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford, New York, a suburb southeast of Rochester. Originally a match play event, it switched to 72-hole s ...

(top 8 + top 20 stroke portion) * The following year's Northeast Amateur (top 8)

References

External links

Official site
- most of the information is in the archive sections {{Golf on NBC Amateur golf tournaments in the United States