The U.S. Amateur comes to Pinehurst August 12-18, which means you’re about have the chance to see a bunch of talented golfers before they make it to the big leagues, AKA the U.S. Open.
Don’t believe us? To support our claim that the U.S. Am is kind of a big deal, we’ve gathered a list of a few past winners who have also won the U.S. Open.
1. Jerome Travers
Meet Jerome Travers, an OG golf champ who won the U.S. Am in 1907, 1908, 1912 and 1913. Travers went on to win the U.S. Open in 1915. Side note: we secretly wish those hats would make a comeback.
2. Bobby Jones
So this man won a lot of tournaments. Like A LOT of tournaments. Bobby Jones won the U.S. Amateur in 1924, 1925, 1927 and 1928, and he won the U.S. Open in 1923, 1926 and 1929. And then there’s the year 1930 when our boy Bobby won the U.S. Am and the U.S. Open. Plus, the pants and sock combo. Legen-dary.
3. Johnny Goodman
Nowadays, most people win the U.S. Am before the U.S. Open, but Johnny Goodman decided to go against the grain back in the day when he won the U.S. Open in 1933 before winning the U.S. Amateur in 1937.
4. Arnold Palmer
Not only did he inspire the lemonade and iced tea concoction, but he also had a U.S. Am victory in 1954, followed by a U.S. Open win in 1960.
5. Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus won two U.S. Amateur Championships in 1959 and 1961, which we like to think acted as a catalyst for his four U.S. Open champion titles in 1962, 1967, 1972 and 1980 — not to mention his level of influence over our young dad’s closet.
6. Tiger Woods
Ah, yes — Tiger Woods. He’s known for a lot of things, but he’s pretty well known for winning both the U.S. Am and the U.S. Open three times. Tiger won three consecutive U.S. Amateur tournaments in 1994, 1995 and 1996, and went on to win the U.S. Open in 2000, 2002 and 2008. And despite the other things he’s known for, your grandma probably still loves him.
Check out all 67 players exempt from the 2019 U.S. Amateur — and see how to get your tickets.
