The United States Junior Amateur Championship is one of the thirteen U.S. national golf championships organised by the United States Golf Association. It is open to amateur boys who are under 18 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA Handicap Index of 6.4 or less. The competition was established in 1948. It consists of two days of strokeplay, with the leading 64 competitors then playing a matchplay competition to decide the champion.
The first tournament in 1948 was won by Dean Lind from a field of 495 enties. In 1999, the tournament set a record with 4,508 entries.
Tiger Woods, who won the tournament in 1991, 1992, and 1993, is the only player to have won the Junior Amateur more than once. Woods, who was 15 years and 220 days old when he won in 1991, remains the youngest champion, although the 2004 champion Sihwan Kim was only 22 days older, and his defeated final opponent David Chung was just fourteen and six months. The number of winners who have gone on to become leading professionals is quite modest. This reflects not only the young age of the competitors, but the more random results of match play tournaments compared to stroke play events. Apart from Woods, well known winners include Johnny Miller (1964) and David Duval (1989). Jack Nicklaus's best result was a semifinal loss.
The equivalent competition for girls is the United States Girls' Junior Championship.
Notable competitors
Competitors who went on to earn prominence in amateur or professional golf include:
- Gay Brewer - 1949 Champion
- David Duval - 1989 Champion
- Al Geiberger - 1954 Runner-up
- Gary Koch - 1970 Champion
- Johnny Miller - 1964 Champion
- Andy North - 1967 Runner-up
- Jay Sigel - 1961 Runner-up
- Scott Simpson - 1972 Runner-up
- Ken Venturi - 1948 Runner-up
- Willie Wood - 1977 Champion
- Tiger Woods 1991, 1992, and 1993 Champion
- Trevor Immelman 1997 Runner-up
Champions
Notes
- ^ Shin was born in South Korea and moved to California with his family in October, 2000. His citizenship at the time of winning the Championship is unknown. The USGA lists him as "of Fullerton, California".