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 St 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 authorise 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 22 December of that year. In 1895 it organised 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 restrictions on entry, but players must have a Handicap index of 2.4 or less. The tournament consists of two days of Strokeplay , with the leading 64 competitors then playing a knockout competition held at Matchplay 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 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. Open champions was higher.
Many of the leading figures in the history of golf have been U.S. Amateur Champion, including Bobby Jones five 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 Nathaniel Crosby (son of Bing ). 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 , and the runner-up also receives an invitation to play in the U.S. Open.
As the Amateur Championship is dominated by future professionals, a separate championship called the U.S. Mid-Amateur was established for "career amateurs" at least 25 years old in 1981. This gives the best players who never turn pro a chance to play against each other for a national title.
- 2005 Edorado Molinari - Italy
- 2004 Ryan Moore
- 2003 Nick Flanagan
- 2002 Ricky Barnes
- 2001 Ben Dickenson
- 2000 Jeff Quinney
- 1999 David Gossett
- 1998 Hank Kuehne
- 1997 Matt Kuchar
- 1996 Tiger Woods
- 1995 Tiger Woods
- 1994 Tiger Woods
- 1993 John Harris
- 1992 Justin Leonard
- 1991 Mitch Voges
- 1990 Phil Mickelson
- 1989 Chris Patten
- 1988 Eric Meeks
- 1987 Billy Mayfair
- 1986 Buddy Alexander
- 1985 Sam Randolph
- 1984 Scott Verplank
- 1983 Jay Sigel
- 1982 Jay Sigel
- 1981 Nathaniel Crosby
- 1980 Hal Sutton
- 1979 Mark O'Meara
- 1978 John Cook
- 1977 John Fought
- 1976 Bill Sander
- 1975 Fred Ridley
- 1974 Jerry Pate
- 1973 Craig Stadler
- 1972 Marvin Giles III
- 1971 Gary Cowan
- 1970 Lanny Wadkins
- 1969 Steve Melnyk
- 1968 Bruce Fleisher , Scioto Country Club , Columbus, Ohio
- 1967 Robert B. Dickson
- 1966 Gary Cowan
- 1965 Robert J. Murphy Jr
- 1964 William C. Campbell
- 1963 Deane Beman
- 1962 Leban E. Harris Jr
- 1961 Jack Nicklaus
- 1960 Deane Beman
- 1959 Jack Nicklaus
- 1958 Charles R. Coe
- 1957 Hillman Robbins Jr
- 1956 E. Harvie Ward Jr
- 1955 E. Harvie Ward Jr
- 1954 Arnold Palmer , CC of Detroit, Grosse Pte. Farms, Michigan
- 1953 Gene Littler , Oklahoma City G&CC, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 1952 Jack Westland, Seattle GC, Seattle, Washington
- 1951 Billy Maxwell, Saucon Valley CC, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
- 1950 Sam Urzetta, Minneapolis GC, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 1949 Charles Coe, Oak Hill CC, Rochester, New York
- 1948 William Turnesa, Memphis CC, Memphis, Tennessee
- 1947 Robert Riegel, Monterey G&CC, Pebble Beach, California
- 1946 Stanley Bishop, Baltusrol Golf Club , Springfield, New Jersey
- 1945 No championship -- World War II
- 1944 No championship -- World War II
- 1943 No championship -- World War II
- 1942 No championship -- World War II
- 1941 Marvin Ward, Omaha Field Club, Omaha, Nebraska
- 1940 Richard Chapman, Winged Foot GC, Mamaroneck, New York
- 1939 Marvin Ward, North Shore GC, Glenview, Illinois
- 1938 William Turnesa, Oakmont CC, Oakmont, Pennsylvania
- 1937 John Goodman, Alderwood CC, Portland, Oregon
- 1936 John Fischer, Garden City GC, Garden City, New York
- 1935 W. Lawson Little Jr., The Country Club, Cleveland, Ohio
- 1934 W. Lawson Little Jr., The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts
- 1933 George Dunlap Jr., Kenwood CC, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1932 C. Ross Somerville, Baltimore CC, Timonium, Maryland
- 1931 Francis Ouimet
- 1930 Robert T. Jones Jr
- 1929 Harrson Johnston, Monte G&CC, Pebble Beach, California
- 1928 Robert T. Jones Jr
- 1927 Robert T. Jones Jr
- 1926 George Von Elm, Baltustrol CC, Springfield, New Jersey
- 1925 Robert T. Jones Jr
- 1924 Robert T. Jones Jr
- 1923 Max Marston, Flossmoor CC, Flossmoor, Illinois
- 1922 Jess Sweetser, The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts
- 1921 Jesse Guilford, St. Louis CC, Clayton, Missouri
- 1920 Charles Evans Jr. , Engineers' CC, Roslyn, New York
- 1919 D. Davidson Herron, Oakmont CC, Oakmont, Pennsylvania
- 1918 No championship -- World War I
- 1917 No championship -- World War I
- 1916 Charles Evans Jr. , Merion Cricket Club, Haverford, Pennsylvania
- 1915 Robert Gardner, CC of Detroit, Grosse Pte. Farms, Michigan
- 1914 Francis Ouimet
- 1913 Jerome Travers , Garden City GC, Garden City, New York
- 1912 Jerome Travers , Chicago GC, Wheaton, Illinois
- 1911 Harold Hilton , The Apawamis Club, Rye, New York
- 1910 William Fownes Jr., The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts
- 1909 Robert Gardner, Chicago GC, Wheaton, Illinois
- 1908 Jerome Travers , Garden City GC, Garden City, New York
- 1907 Jerome Travers
- 1906 Eben M. Byers
- 1905 H. Chandler Egan
- 1904 H. Chandler Egan
- 1903 Walter J. Travis
- 1902 Louis N. James
- 1901 Walter J. Travis
- 1900 Walter J. Travis
- 1899 H.M. Harriman
- 1898 Findlay S. Douglas
- 1897 H.J. Whigham
- 1896 H.J. Whigham
- 1895 Charles B. McDonald
- Official site - most of the information is in the archive sections
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