40-533: 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
80-467: A 1 guinea entry fee. This, together with 25 guineas from the Royal Liverpool club, was used for prizes. The losing finalist received £10 with the remainder being used to buy plate for the winner. The final amount for the winner was about £60 or £70. By comparison the winner of the 1885 Open Championship received £10. For many years the 1885 event was not regarded as the first Amateur Championship. It
120-422: 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 champions, 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
160-495: A national championship conducted by the USGA. In 2011, Sarah Hirshland became the senior managing director of business affairs for the USGA. In April 2018, she was promoted to chief commercial officer. She brought the USGA partnerships with major corporations and negotiated a billion-dollar deal with the Fox TV network . In August 2018, she left to become the 20th chief executive officer of
200-517: A national governing body, which would administer the championship and also the Rules of Golf for the country. On December 22, 1894, the Amateur Golf Association of the United States was officially formed, and was shortly thereafter renamed the "United States Golf Association". Theodore Havemeyer was the first president, and the U.S. Amateur trophy is named in his honor. The first U.S. Amateur
240-501: A perpetual trophy for the championship. In addition, gold and silver medals were presented to the winner and runner-up, with bronze medals for the losing semi-finalists. The format became a simple knockout, with extra holes played in case of a tie after 18 holes. Otherwise the format remained the same as for the 1885 event. Because of the late arrangements the inaugural championship was not held until late September. With 42 entries, six rounds were needed which were completed in three days with
280-582: A replica of the U.S. Open trophy and won a trip for two to Pebble Beach for the next year's event. 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 1949 and 2019 when Ireland hosted
320-454: A restriction that was not lifted until 1979. 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
360-415: 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
400-586: A women's counterpart in 2018. Professional golf in the US is mainly run by the PGA Tour , the LPGA , and the PGA of America . However, the USGA organizes the 10 national amateur championships. The leading events are open to all age groups, but are usually won by golfers in their early twenties: There are two championships for players under age 19: And two for senior golfers: Because
440-525: 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
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#1732859103058480-542: The U.S. Open , U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open , and tests golf equipment for conformity with regulations. The USGA and the USGA Museum are located in Liberty Corner, New Jersey . In 2024, the USGA moved its Testing Center from Liberty Corner, New Jersey to Pinehurst, North Carolina. The Testing Center is where all golf clubs and golf balls manufactured in the United States and Mexico are tested for conformance to
520-552: The United States Olympic Committee . The USGA organizes or co-organizes the following competitions: An "open" golf championship is one that both professionals and amateurs may enter. In practice, such events are always won by professionals nowadays. The two leading opens in the U.S. are: The last win by an amateur at the U.S. Open was 91 years ago in 1933 and an amateur has won the women's event only once, 57 years ago in 1967 . The USGA also conducts
560-481: 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
600-573: The Championship involves 288 players, each of whom plays two rounds of 18 holes, one on each of two courses, over the first two days. The 64 lowest scores over the 36 holes, and ties for 64th place compete in the match play stage of the Championship, on the event's principal course, and are seeded by qualifying scores. Each match consists of one round of 18 holes, except for the Final, which is over 36 holes. Since there are generally more than 64 qualifiers from
640-581: The Rules of Golf. The USGA was originally formed in 1894 to resolve the question of a national amateur championship. Earlier that year, the Newport Country Club and Saint Andrew's Golf Club , Yonkers , New York, both declared the winners of their tournaments the "national amateur champion." That autumn, delegates from Newport, St. Andrew's, The Country Club , Chicago Golf Club , and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club met in New York City to form
680-460: The U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open Championships, through 2024: Thirteen players have won both the U.S. Amateur and British Amateurs , through 2024: Two players have won both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur through 2024: Two players have won both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Amateur Public Links in the same year: ^ Won both in same year. Bobby Jones won the Grand Slam in 1930, winning
720-483: The U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women's Amateur became increasingly dominated by future tournament professionals , two national championships were added in the 1980s for "career amateurs" who were 25 years of age & older: These team events were announced by the USGA in 2013 as the replacements for the discontinued Public Links championships and played for the first time in 2015. Both are contested by two-member teams in four-ball matches. Partners are not required to be from
760-417: The U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open , British Amateur , and British Open . Source 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: Here are
800-555: The U.S. Senior Open for competitors 50 and over. This is one of the five majors recognized by the world's dominant tour for golfers 50 and over, PGA Tour Champions . The overwhelming majority of the competitors play regularly on this tour. Many of the remaining players compete on the European counterpart of PGA Tour Champions, the European Senior Tour , which recognizes the U.S. Senior Open as one of its three majors. The USGA added
840-747: The United States and a joint team representing Great Britain and Ireland (in political terms, Ireland and the United Kingdom). Through its membership of the International Golf Federation the USGA is involved in the administration of the two "World Amateur Team Championships", which are played biennially in even-numbered years. There had been two events for "public-course" golfers, but the USGA announced in 2013 that both would be discontinued after their 2014 editions. Members of private golf clubs were excluded from these championships. Only nine golfers have won more than one USGA individual event in
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#1732859103058880-411: The championship. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur . It normally has the widest international representation of any individual amateur event, with 38 golf federations from all six continents represented in the 2018 championship. Before World War II it was regarded as one of golf's major championships , but given the modern dominance of
920-548: The competition was Bobby Jones , whose 1930 victory was part of his Grand Slam . Sixteen players have won more than one Amateur Championship, as of 2024: Three players have won both the Amateur and the Open Championship : Stroke-play qualifying was introduced in 1983. 36 holes are played, using two courses, with the leading 64 and ties advancing to the match-play stage. From 1983 to 1985 exactly 64 players qualified, ties for
960-431: The final places being decided on countback. In 2020 qualifying was reduced to one round. In 2024 exactly 64 players qualified, ties for the final places being decided by a sudden-death playoff. The leading qualifiers are given below: + Number one seed. If two or more players are tied, the seeding is decided on countback using the combined scores on the last 9 holes of both qualifying rounds. The Amateur has been played at
1000-554: The major championships, namely the following month's Open Championship , and the following year's Masters Tournament and U.S. Open , provided he remain an amateur prior to each major. The Amateur Championship is open to amateur golfers of any nationality in good standing with their national federations. Briton John Ball won the most career titles, with eight. Ball was still competing in the event as late as 1921 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club . In modern times, Briton Michael Bonallack 's five titles lead. The most famous American winner of
1040-466: The original five clubs. There were 267 club members in 1910, and 1,138 clubs by 1932. Membership fell off during the Great Depression and World War II , but recovered by 1947. By 1980 there were over 5,000 clubs, and today membership exceeds 9,700. On September 17, 1956, Ann Gregory began competing in the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, thus becoming the first African-American woman to play in
1080-447: The other exemptions: 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 of golf . The USGA also provides a national handicap system for golfers, conducts 14 national championships, including
1120-971: The popularity of the championship led to the number of applicants increasing to unmanageable levels. Major golf nations are allocated entries on what amounts to a quota basis for their top applicants, with each applicant's national federation cooperating with the R&;A on selection. For example, the 2010 entry list included players from the British Isles ( England , Wales , Scotland , Ireland , Northern Ireland ), mainland Europe ( France , Belgium , Netherlands , Germany , Italy , Spain , Portugal , Sweden , Norway , Finland , Denmark , Slovenia , Switzerland , Austria , Iceland ), North America ( USA , Canada , Mexico ), South America ( Argentina , Bolivia , Peru ), Asia ( China , India , South Korea , Japan , Singapore ), Australasia ( Australia , New Zealand ) and Africa ( South Africa ). The first stage of
1160-412: The professional ranks, and those who had regained their amateur status, a chance to play against each other for a national title. While most players at the U.S. Amateur advance through sectional qualifying, many players are exempt each year. Below are the exemptions: In all cases, the exemptions only apply if the player has not turned professional as of the tournament date. Twelve players have won both
1200-562: The same club, political subdivision, or country. The USGA men's and women's state team championships were first conducted in 1995 as a part of the USGA's Centennial celebration. The two championships were conducted biennially in odd-numbered years through 2009. Since 2010, the men's championship has been conducted in even-numbered years and the women's championship in odd-numbered years. According to NCAA rules, college golfers are not eligible. The USGA, in cooperation with The R&A , co-organizes two biennial amateur team competitions between
1240-563: The same year: Six people have won three different USGA individual events in their careers: Fifty–two other people have won two different USGA individual events in their careers, and three have won USGA individual and team events: Note: Multiple winners of individual events can be found in that event's article. The USGA partnered with World Golf Tour in 2009 to co-host the first annual Virtual USGA Championship online. The Virtual U.S. Open attracted hundreds of thousands of players from more than 180 countries. The first-place winner took home
U.S. Amateur - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-440: The second round. There were no more halved matches in the following rounds which meant that 3 players reached the semi-final stage. John Ball beat his father, also called John, in the third round. Allan Macfie received a bye at the semi-final stage with Horace Hutchinson beating Ball 2 up in the only semi-final match. After his morning round, Hutchinson played badly in the afternoon and Macfie won 7&6. Each player paid
1320-450: The semi-finals and final on the last day. John Ball again lost in the semi-finals, 7&6 to Henry Lamb , but Lamb lost the final against Horace Hutchinson by the same score. Entry to the Championship is now given to the most-qualified 288 applicants from around the world, with perhaps half the places reserved for top players from the United Kingdom and Ireland . Qualifying rounds for all players were first introduced in 1983, when
1360-508: The sport by professional golfers , this is no longer the case. Two Amateur Championship winners in the post-World War II era have gone on to win professional major championships : José María Olazábal and Sergio García , both Spaniards . The inaugural tournament was organised by the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in 1885. It was played on 20, 21 and 23 April and was "open to all amateur members of recognised golf clubs". The format
1400-473: The stroke play stage, the first round of the match play involves a small number of matches to reduce the number of qualifiers to exactly 64. In 2024 exactly 64 players qualified, ties for the final places being decided by a sudden-death playoff. Tied matches are broken by sudden death over extra holes. The event is played in June, normally with a Monday to Saturday schedule. The winner receives invitations to three of
1440-494: 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),
1480-531: Was held in 1895 at the Newport Country Club, with Charles B. Macdonald (who was runner-up at both of the previous year's tournaments) winning the championship. The first U.S. Open was held the following day, almost as an afterthought. It was not until 1898 that the two events were held at separate clubs. Today, the USGA administers 14 separate national championships, ten of which are expressly for amateurs. The USGA gradually expanded its membership from
1520-430: Was match-play. All players were included in the draw for each round, any extra player receiving a bye. If a match was halved after the 18 holes both players progressed to the next round, playing each other again. There were 49 entries from 12 different clubs, although only 44 were included in the draw and four of these players did not turn up. Of the 22 first-round matches, 2 were halved, meaning that there were 12 matches in
1560-553: Was only in 1922 that the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews decided "to place on record the name of Mr. A. F. Macfie as the winner of the Amateur Championship of 1885". Despite the unusual format of the 1885 event, it was regarded as a success. A meeting was arranged in 1886 where it was decided to start an amateur championship, to be held alternately at St Andrews, Hoylake and Prestwick. A number of clubs subscribed to buy
1600-487: Was won by William G. Lawrence, and the other took place at Saint Andrew's Golf Club and was won by Laurence B. Stoddart. 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 ,
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