The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules of golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system for golfers, conducts 14 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open, and tests golf equipment for conformity with regulations. The USGA and the

USGA Museum The United States Golf Association Museum and Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History is home to the world's premier collection of golf artifacts and memorabilia. It is located adjacent to the United States Golf Association’s headquarters in Liber ...

are located in Liberty Corner, New Jersey.

History

The USGA was originally formed in 1894 to resolve the question of a national amateur championship. Earlier that year, the Newport Country Club and

Saint Andrew's Golf Club The Saint Andrew's Golf Club is a golf club located in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York (state), New York, United States. History Founded in 1888 by John Reid (businessman), John Reid of Dunfermline, Scotland, the club is the oldest golf club in the ...

, Yonkers, New York, both declared the winners of their tournaments the "national amateur champion." That autumn, delegates from Newport, St. Andrew's, The Country Club,

Chicago Golf Club Chicago Golf Club is a private golf club in the central United States, located in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. The oldest 18-hole course in North America, it was one of the five founding clubs of the United States Golf Associa ...

, and

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is a Links (golf), links-style golf club located in an Shinnecock Hills, New York, unincorporated area of the Southampton (town), New York, Town of Southampton on Long Island, New York (state), New York, situated betwee ...

met in New York City to form a national governing body, which would administer the championship and also the Rules of Golf for the country. On December 22, 1894, the Amateur Golf Association of the United States was officially formed, and was shortly thereafter renamed the "United States Golf Association".

Theodore Havemeyer Theodore Augustus Havemeyer (May 17, 1839 – April 26, 1897) was an American businessman who was the first president of the U.S. Golf Association and co-founder of the Newport Country Club, host to both the first U.S. Amateur and the first U.S. ...

was the first president, and the U.S. Amateur trophy is named in his honor. The first U.S. Amateur was held in 1895 at the Newport Country Club, with Charles B. Macdonald (who was runner-up at both of the previous year's tournaments) winning the championship. The first U.S. Open was held the following day, almost as an afterthought. It was not until 1898 that the two events were held at separate clubs. Today, the USGA administers 14 separate national championships, ten of which are expressly for amateurs. The USGA gradually expanded its membership from the original five clubs. There were 267 club members in 1910, and 1,138 clubs by 1932. Membership fell off during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and World War II, but recovered by 1947. By 1980 there were over 5,000 clubs, and today membership exceeds 9,700. On September 17, 1956, Ann Gregory began competing in the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, thus becoming the first African-American woman to play in a national championship conducted by the USGA.

Competitions organized by the USGA

250px, Mike Davis (on left), former executive director of the USGA, walking down the 18th fairway at the 2018 U.S. Open. The USGA organizes or co-organizes the following competitions:

Open championships

An "open" golf championship is one that both professionals and amateurs may enter. In practice, such events are always won by professionals nowadays. The two leading opens in the U.S. are: * U.S. Open – no age or gender restrictions, Handicap Index requirement of 1.4 or less. Established in

1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...

, it is the second-oldest of the four major championships. * U.S. Women's Open – females, no age restrictions, Handicap Index requirement of 2.4 or less. Established in

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

and administered by the USGA since

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

, it is the oldest of the five women's majors. The last win by an amateur at the U.S. Open was in

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

and an amateur has won the women's event only once, in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

. The USGA also conducts the U.S. Senior Open for competitors 50 and over. This is one of the five

majors Jonathan Michael Majors (born September 7, 1989)Majors in is an American actor. He rose to prominence after starring in the independent feature film ''The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' (2019). In 2020, he garnered wider notice for portraying ...

recognized by the world's dominant tour for golfers 50 and over, PGA Tour Champions. The overwhelming majority of the competitors play regularly on this tour. Many of the remaining players compete on the European counterpart of PGA Tour Champions, the European Senior Tour, which recognizes the U.S. Senior Open as one of its three majors. The USGA added a women's counterpart in 2018. * U.S. Senior Open – no gender restriction, players age 50 & older, handicap index requirement of 3.4 or less, established in 1980. *

U.S. Senior Women's Open The U.S. Senior Women's Open is one of fourteen U.S. national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association. The newest USGA championship, it is open to women whose 50th birthday falls on or before the first day of competitio ...

– women's players age 50 & older with a handicap index of 7.4 or less, established in 2018.

Individual amateur championships

Professional golf in the US is mainly run by the PGA Tour, the

LPGA The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...

, and the PGA of America. However, the USGA organizes the 10 national amateur championships. The leading events are open to all age groups, but are usually won by golfers in their early twenties: * U.S. Amateur – no age or gender restrictions, handicap index of 2.4 or less, established in 1895. *

U.S. Women's Amateur The U.S. Women's Amateur is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association (USGA). F ...

– no age restrictions, females with a handicap index of 5.4 or less, established in 1895. There are two championships for players under age 19: * U.S. Girls' Junior – girls with a handicap index of 9.4 or less, established in 1949 *

U.S. Junior Amateur The United States Junior Amateur Championship is one of the fourteen U.S. national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association. It is open to amateur boys who are under 19 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA Ha ...

– no gender restriction, handicap index of 4.4 or less, established in 1948 And two for senior golfers: *

U.S. Senior Amateur The United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship is a national tournament for amateur golf competitors at least 55 years of age. It is operated by the United States Golf Association (USGA). The tournament starts with 36 holes of stroke pl ...

– no gender restriction, players age 55 & older, handicap index of 7.4 or less, established in 1955 *

U.S. Senior Women's Amateur The United States Senior Women's Amateur Golf Championship was launched in 1962 as an annual tournament for female amateur golfing competitors at least 50 years of age. The format began as a 54-hole stroke play competition over three days until 199 ...

– women age 50 & older with a handicap index of 18.4 or less, established in 1962 Because the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women's Amateur became increasingly dominated by future tournament professionals, two national championships were added in the 1980s for "career amateurs" who were 25 years of age & older: *

U.S. Mid-Amateur The U.S. Mid-Amateur, often called the Mid-Am for short, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for post-college amateur golfers, organized by the USGA. It was first played in at Bellerive Country Club in Creve Coeur, Missouri, ...

– no gender restriction, players age 25 & older, handicap index of 3.4 or less, established in 1981 *

U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur The U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur is one of thirteen United States Golf Association national championships. First played in 1987, it provides amateur women over the age of 25 an opportunity to compete for a national championship. Entrants must have a ...

– women age 25 & older with a handicap index of 9.4 or less, established in 1987

Team amateur championships

These team events were announced by the USGA in 2013 as the replacements for the discontinued Public Links championships and played for the first time in 2015. Both are contested by two-member teams in four-ball matches. Partners are not required to be from the same club, political subdivision, or country. *

U.S. Amateur Four-Ball The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball is an amateur golf tournament conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA). It was first played in 2015 and replaced the U.S. Amateur Public Links, an individual tournament that was played from 1922 to 2014. Th ...

– no age or gender restrictions; handicap index of 5.4 or less *

U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball The U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball is a women's amateur team golf tournament conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA). It was first played in 2015 and replaced the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, an individual tournament that was pl ...

– no age restrictions, females with a handicap index of 14.4 or less

State team championships

The USGA men's and women's state team championships were first conducted in 1995 as a part of the USGA's Centennial celebration. The two championships were conducted biennially in odd-numbered years through 2009. Since 2010, the men's championship has been conducted in even-numbered years and the women's championship in odd-numbered years. According to NCAA rules, college golfers are not eligible. *USGA Men's State Team Championship *USGA Women's State Team Championship

International team competitions

The USGA, in cooperation with The R&A, co-organizes two biennial amateur team competitions between the United States and a joint team representing Great Britain and Ireland (in political terms, Ireland and the United Kingdom). * Curtis Cup – 8-woman teams, played in even-numbered years. The 2018 edition was the first in which The R&A was directly involved. Previously, the Ladies' Golf Union was the co-organizer, but that body merged with The R&A in late 2016 (after that year's Curtis Cup had been played). * Walker Cup – 10-man male teams, played in odd-numbered years. Through its membership of the International Golf Federation the USGA is involved in the administration of the two "World Amateur Team Championships", which are played biennially in even-numbered years. * Eisenhower Trophy – for men * Espirito Santo Trophy – for women

Discontinued championships

There had been two events for "public-course" golfers, but the USGA announced in 2013 that both would be discontinued after their 2014 editions. Members of private golf clubs were excluded from these championships. *

U.S. Amateur Public Links The U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, was a men's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the United States Golf Association. The USGA typically cal ...

– popularly known as the "Publinx"; no gender restriction, handicap index of 4.4 or less, established in 1922 and discontinued in 2014 * U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links – popularly known as the "Women's Publinx"; women with a handicap index of 18.4 or less, established in 1977 and discontinued in 2014

Multiple event winners

Only eight golfers have won more than one USGA individual event in the same year: * Chick Evans won the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in 1916. He went on to win the U.S. Amateur in 1920. * Bobby Jones won the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur as half of his historic Grand Slam in 1930. Jones had previously won three U.S. Opens (1923, 1926, 1929) and four U.S. Amateurs (1924, 1925, 1927, 1928). * Jay Sigel won the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur in 1983. He had won the U.S. Amateur in 1982 and would win the Mid-Am in 1985 and 1987. * Pearl Sinn won the Women's Public Links and Women's Amateur in 1988. She successfully defended her Women's Publinx title in 1989. * Ryan Moore won the U.S. Public Links and U.S. Amateur in 2004. He had previously won the Publinx in 2002. * Colt Knost won the U.S. Public Links and U.S. Amateur in 2007. * Jennifer Song won the Women's Public Links and Women's Amateur in 2009. * Seong Eun-jeong won the Girls' Junior and Women's Amateur in 2016. She had previously won the Girls' Junior in 2015. Six people have won three different USGA individual events in their careers: * JoAnne Carner (née Gunderson) – Girls' Jr – 1956; Women's Am – 1957, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1968; Women's Open – 1971, 1976 * Arnold Palmer – Amat – 1954; Open – 1960; Sr Open – 1981 *

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...

– Amat – 1959, 1961; Open – 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980; Sr Open – 1991, 1993 * Carol Semple Thompson – Women's Am – 1973; Women's Mid-Am – 1990, 1997; Sr Women's Am – 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 * Tiger Woods – Jr Amat – 1991, 1992, 1993; Amat – 1994, 1995, 1996; Open – 2000, 2002, 2008 *

Jill McGill Jill McGill (born January 30, 1972) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. McGill was born in Denver, Colorado. She played college golf at the University of Southern California and won the U.S. Women's Amateur title in ...

– Women's Am – 1993; Women's Publinx – 1994; Sr Women's Open – 2022 Fifty other people have won two different USGA individual events in their careers, and two have won USGA individual and team events: * Francis Ouimet – Open – 1913; Amat – 1914, 1931 * Jerome Travers – Amat – 1907, 1908, 1912, 1913; Open – 1915 *

Johnny Goodman John George Goodman (December 28, 1909 – August 8, 1970) was the last amateur golfer to win the U.S. Open, in 1933, and also won the U.S. Amateur in 1937. Born to Lithuanian immigrants in South Omaha, Nebraska, Goodman was orphaned at the ...

– Open – 1933; Amat – 1937 * Lawson Little – Amat – 1934, 1935; Open – 1940 * Patty Berg – Women's Am – 1938; Women's Open – 1946 *

Betty Jameson Elizabeth May Jameson (May 9, 1919 – February 7, 2009) was an American professional golfer. She was one of the thirteen founders of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) in 1950. She won three major championships and a total of thi ...

– Women's Am – 1939, 1940; Women's Open – 1947 *

Babe Zaharias Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (; Didrikson; June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer O ...

– Women's Am – 1946; Women's Open – 1948, 1950, 1954 * Louise Suggs – Women's Am – 1947; Women's Open – 1949, 1952 * Mickey Wright – Girls' Jr – 1952; Women's Open – 1958, 1959, 1961, 1964 * Gene Littler – Amat – 1953; Open – 1961 * Catherine Lacoste – Women's Open – 1967; Women's Am – 1969 * Gene Andrews – Publinx – 1954; Sr Amat – 1970 * Johnny Miller – Jr Amat – 1964; Open – 1973 * Jerry Pate – Amat – 1974; Open – 1976 *

Dorothy Germain Porter Dorothy Germain Porter (April 3, 1924 – July 20, 2012) was an American amateur golfer. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dorothy Germain began playing golf at 11. She graduated from Arcadia University, Beaver College (now Arcadia University), ...

– Women's Am – 1949; Sr Women's Am – 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983 * Hollis Stacy – Girls' Jr – 1969, 1970, 1971; Women's Open – 1977, 1978, 1984 * William C. Campbell – Amat – 1964; Sr Amat – 1979, 1980 *

Lori Castillo Lori Castillo (born 1961) is an American professional golfer from Hawaii. She is one of only three golfers to have won both U.S. Girls' Junior (1978) and U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links (1979 and 1980), and was the first female to hold two USG ...

– Girls' Jr – 1978; Women's Publinx – 1979, 1980 * Amy Alcott – Girls' Jr – 1973; Women's Open – 1980 * Billy Casper – Open – 1959, 1966; Sr Open – 1983 *

Heather Farr Heather Farr (March 10, 1965 – November 20, 1993) was an American professional golfer on the Early years Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Farr was the elder of two daughters of Gerald D. (Jerry) and Sharon Farr. She and her sister Missy ...

– Girls' Jr – 1982; Women's Publinx – 1984 * Marlene Streit (née Stewart) – Women's Am – 1956; Sr Women's Am – 1985, 1994, 2003 * Billy Mayfair – Publinx – 1986; Amat – 1987 * Gary Player – Open – 1965; Sr Open – 1987, 1988 *

Anne Quast Anne Quast (born August 31, 1937) is an American amateur golfer. She won the U.S. Women's Amateur three times (1958, 1961, 1963) and was runner-up three times (1965, 1968, 1973). She was married several times and played as Anne Decker, Anne Wel ...

(aka Decker, Welts, Sander) – Women's Am – 1958, 1961, 1963; Women's Mid-Am – 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993 * Orville Moody – Open – 1969; Sr Open – 1989 * Pat Hurst – Girls' Jr – 1986; Women's Am – 1990 *

Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Trevino won six major championships and ...

– Open – 1968, 1971; Sr Open – 1990 *

Amy Fruhwirth Amy Fruhwirth (born July 23, 1968) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. Fruhwirth was born in Cypress, California. She played college golf at Arizona State University where she was a three-time All-American.

– Women's Am – 1991; Women's Publinx – 1992 *

Kelli Kuehne Kelli Kuehne Doremus (born May 11, 1977) is a retired American professional golfer. Amateur career Kuehne was born in Dallas, Texas. She was the Texas UIL 4A Girls Individual State Champion four years in a row, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 while att ...

– Girls' Jr – 1994; Women's Am – 1995, 1996 * Dorothy Delasin – Girls' Jr – 1996; Women's Am – 1998 * Hale Irwin – Open – 1974, 1979, 1990; Sr Open – 1998, 2000 * Juli Inkster – Women's Am – 1980, 1981, 1982; Women's Open – 1999, 2002 * Bruce Fleisher – Amat – 1968; Sr Open – 2001 * Inbee Park – Girls' Jr – 2002; Women's Open – 2008, 2013 * Vinny Giles – Amat – 1972; Sr Amat – 2009 *

Ellen Port Ellen Fuson Port (born September 21, 1961) is an amateur golfer and former golf coach. At amateur events, Port has won over twenty combined amateur championships held by the Missouri Golf Association and Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association from 1 ...

– Women's Mid-Am – 1995, 1996, 2000, 2011; Sr. Women's Am – 2012, 2013, 2016 * Michelle Wie – Women's Publinx – 2003; Women's Open – 2014 *

Joan Higgins Dame Joan Margaret Higgins, DBE FAcSS is a British academic, educator, and public health service manager. Career Higgins graduated in social administration from the University of York in 1971 and has held academic posts at the University o ...

– Women's Mid-Am – 2008; Sr. Women's Am – 2014 * Nathan Smith – Mid-Am – 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012; Four-Ball – 2015 * Jordan Spieth – Jr Amat – 2009, 2011; Open – 2015 *

Ariya Jutanugarn Ariya Jutanugarn ( th, เอรียา จุฑานุกาล, , ; born 23 November 1995) is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the American-based LPGA Tour. She was born in Bangkok. She is the first golfer, male or female, from Tha ...

– Girls' Jr – 2011; Women's Open – 2018 * Laura Davies – Women's Open – 1987; Sr. Women's Open – 2018 *

Scott Harvey Scott Harvey (born May 30, 1978) is an American amateur golfer. In 2014, he won the U.S. Mid-Amateur, defeating Brad Nurski, 6 and 5, in the 36-hole championship match. Harvey won the 2015 South American Amateur in Peru, finishing with a two shot ...

– Mid-Am – 2014; Four-Ball – 2019 * Bryson DeChambeau – Amat – 2015; Open – 2020 * Jim Furyk – Open – 2003; Sr Open – 2021 * Rose Zhang – Women's Am – 2020; Girls' Jr – 2021 * Annika Sörenstam – Women's Open – 1995, 1996, 2006; Sr. Women's Open – 2021 * Minjee Lee – Girls' Jr – 2012; Women's Open – 2022 * Matt Fitzpatrick – Amat – 2013; Open – 2022 Note: Multiple winners of individual events can be found in that event's article.

Most career USGA championships won

* Bobby Jones: 9 – Open - 1923, 1926, 1929, 1930; Amat - 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1930 * Tiger Woods: 9 – Jr Amat - 1991, 1992, 1993; Amat - 1994, 1995, 1996; Open - 2000, 2002, 2008 * JoAnne Carner: 8 – Girls' Jr - 1956; Women's Am - 1957, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1968; Women's Op - 1971, 1976 *

: 8 – Amat - 1959, 1961; Open - 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980; Sr Open - 1991, 1993 *

(aka Decker, Welts, Sander): 7 – Women's Am - 1958, 1961, 1963; Sr Women's Am - 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993 *

: 7 – Women's Mid-Am - 1995, 1996, 2000, 2011; Sr. Women's Am - 2012, 2013, 2016 * Carol Semple Thompson: 7 – Women's Am - 1973; Women's Mid-Am - 1990, 1997; Sr Women's Am - 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 * Glenna Collett (Vare): 6 – Women's Am - 1922, 1925, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1935 * Hollis Stacy: 6 – Girls' Jr - 1969, 1970, 1971; Women's Open - 1977, 1978, 1984 * Jerome Travers: 5 – Amat - 1907, 1908, 1912, 1913; Open - 1915 * Mickey Wright: 5 – Girls' Jr - 1952; Women's Op - 1958, 1959, 1961, 1964 * Carolyn Cudone: 5 – Sr Women's Am - 1968-1972 *

: 5 – Women's Am - 1949; Sr. Women's Am - 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983 * Jay Sigel: 5 – Amat - 1982, 1983; Mid-Am - 1983, 1985, 1987 * Hale Irwin: 5 – Open - 1974, 1979, 1990; Sr Open 1998, 2000 * Juli Inkster: 5 – Women's Am - 1980, 1981, 1982; Women's Open - 1999, 2002 * Nathan Smith: 5 – Mid-Am – 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012; Four-Ball – 2015

Virtual USGA Championship

The USGA partnered with World Golf Tour in 2009 to co-host the first annual Virtual USGA Championship online. The Virtual U.S. Open attracted hundreds of thousands of players from more than 180 countries. The first-place winner took home a replica of the U.S. Open trophy and won a trip for two to Pebble Beach for the next year's event.

References

External links

Database of all USGA Championships results
* {{Authority control National members of the Americas Golf Association Golf in the United States Golf associations Golf Bernards Township, New Jersey 1894 establishments in the United States Sports organizations established in 1894