Tournament information | |
---|---|
Location | United Kingdom |
Established | 1885 |
Organized by | The R&A |
Format | Stroke play and match play |
Month played | June |
Current champion | |
Jacob Skov Olesen |
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 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. [1]
Before World War II it was regarded as one of golf's major championships, but given the modern dominance of 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 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 the second round. [2] [3] There were no more halved matches in the following rounds which meant that 3 players reached the semi-final stage. [4] [5] John Ball beat his father, also called John, in the third round. [5] 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. [6] [7] Each player paid 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. [3] The final amount for the winner was about £60 [6] or £70. [7] 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 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". [8]
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 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 the semi-finals and final on the last day. [9] [10] 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. [11]
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 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). [12]
The first stage of 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 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 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. [13] In modern times, Briton Michael Bonallack's five titles lead. The most famous American winner of 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 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. [117]
The Amateur has been played at the following courses, listed in order of number of tournaments hosted (as of 2024):
Peter Arthur Oosterhuis was an English professional golfer and broadcaster. He played on the European circuit from 1969 to 1974, winning 10 tournaments and taking the Harry Vardon Trophy for heading the Order of Merit for four consecutive seasons from 1971 to 1974. From 1975 he played on the PGA Tour, winning the Canadian Open in 1981. Oosterhuis was twice runner-up in the Open Championship, in 1974 and 1982. Later he became a golf analyst on TV, initially in Europe and then in the United States. In 2015, he announced that he had Alzheimer's disease.
The Women's Amateur Championship, previously known as the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, was founded in 1893 by the Ladies' Golf Union. It is organised by The R&A, which merged with the Ladies' Golf Union in 2017. Until the dawn of the professional era in 1976, it was the most important golf tournament for women in Great Britain, and attracted players from continental Europe, North America, and the rest of the world. Along with the U.S. Women's Amateur, it is considered the highest honour in women's amateur golf.
The English Amateur is the national amateur match play golf championship of England. It has been played annually since 1925 and is organised by England Golf.
The English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy is the national amateur stroke play golf championship in England. It has been played annually since 1947 and is organised by England Golf.
The 1973 Open Championship was the 102nd Open Championship, played 11–14 July at Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland. Tom Weiskopf won his only major championship by three strokes over runners-up Neil Coles and Johnny Miller, the winner of the U.S. Open a month earlier. Weiskopf was a wire-to-wire winner and his four-round total of 12-under-par 276 matched the then-existing Open Championship record set by Arnold Palmer on the same course in 1962.
The 1971 Open Championship was the 100th Open Championship, played 7–10 July at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Lee Trevino won the first of his consecutive Open Championships, one stroke ahead of Lu Liang-Huan. It was the third of his six major titles and his second consecutive; he won the U.S. Open less than a month earlier in a playoff over Jack Nicklaus.
The 1970 Open Championship was the 99th Open Championship, played 8–12 July at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. Jack Nicklaus won the second of his three Opens in an 18-hole Sunday playoff over Doug Sanders, 72 to 73. In gusty winds during the fourth round on Saturday, Sanders saved par from the Road Hole bunker and led by one heading to the 72nd hole. After a lengthy drive on the short par-4, he took four shots from just 74 yards (68 m) and missed a downhill putt for par from three feet to win.
The 1965 Open Championship was the 94th Open Championship, played 7–9 July at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Peter Thomson won his fifth Claret Jug, two strokes ahead of runners-up Brian Huggett and Christy O'Connor Snr. Thomson's previous Open victory was seven years earlier in 1958.
The 1966 Open Championship was the 95th Open Championship, held 6–9 July at Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Jack Nicklaus won the first of his three Claret Jugs, one stroke ahead of runners-up Doug Sanders and Dave Thomas. It was the sixth of eighteen major titles for Nicklaus and marked the completion of the first of his three career grand slams.
Barbara Amy Bridget Jackson is an English amateur golfer. She won the 1954 Girls Amateur Championship, the 1956 English Women's Amateur Championship and the 1967 Canadian Women's Amateur. She played in three Curtis Cup matches, 1958, 1964 and 1968.
The Boys Home Internationals was an amateur team golf championship for boys between the four Home Nations. Ireland was represented by the whole island of Ireland.The event was organised by The R&A. The inaugural event was held in 1985 and the venue cycled between the four nations. The winning team received the R&A Trophy. Originally it was played immediately before, and at the same venue, as the Boys Amateur Championship. However from 1997 it was held as a separate event. In 2021 the match was replaced by a combined Girls and Boys Home Internationals.
The Scottish Women’s Amateur Championship is the women's national amateur match play golf championship of Scotland. It was first played in 1903 and is currently organised by Scottish Golf.
Marley Joan Spearman She won the British Ladies Amateur in 1961 and 1962 and the English Women's Amateur Championship in 1964. She was in three Curtis Cup teams, in 1960, 1962 and 1964.
Ann Leslie Irvin is an English amateur golfer. She won the British Ladies Amateur in 1973 and the English Women's Amateur Championship in 1967 and 1974. She was in four Curtis Cup teams, in 1962, 1968, 1970 and 1976.
Audrey Briggs is a Welsh amateur golfer. She won the Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship four times in five years from 1970 to 1974. She represented Great Britain & Ireland in the Vagliano Trophy in 1971 and 1973.
Sheila Mary Vaughan was an English amateur golfer. She had a successful junior career and won the Girls Amateur Championship in 1959. She had some success at the senior level in early 1960s, twice reaching the semi-finals of the English Women's Amateur Championship. She played in the Curtis Cup twice, in 1962 and 1964.
Angela, Lady Bonallack was an English amateur golfer. She was twice a finalist in the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship and won the English Women's Amateur Championship in 1958 and 1963. She played in six successive Curtis Cup matches from 1956 to 1966. She was married to Michael Bonallack.
Ruth Porter was an English amateur golfer. She had a successful junior career which included winning the 1956 Girls Amateur Championship and the 1958 British Girls' Stroke-play Championship. She won the English Women's Amateur Championship three times between 1959 and 1965, and played in the Curtis Cup in 1960, 1962 and 1964.
Sally Barber is an English amateur golfer. She won the English Women's Amateur Championship in 1978 and was twice a runner-up. She won the German women's championship in 1958 and played in the 1962 Curtis Cup. She is the sister of Michael Bonallack
Leonard Peter Tupling is an English professional golfer. As an amateur he won the Boys Amateur Championship in 1967. In 1969, he was the leading amateur in the Open Championship and played in the Walker Cup. As a professional, he is best remembered for winning the 1981 Nigerian Open with a 72-hole score of 255, at the time a new world scoring record in professional golf.