History
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. 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, 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 0.4 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 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 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.
Multiple winners
Twelve players have won both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open Championships, through 2024:
- 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, 2024 Opens
- Matt Fitzpatrick: 2013 Amateur; 2022 Open
Thirteen players have won both the U.S. Amateur and British Amateurs, through 2024:
- 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 2024:
- 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:
^ 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.
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 (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:
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Mason Howell (2025)
