The U.S. Women's Amateur, also known as the United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship, is the leading

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

tournament in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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 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 rule ...

(USGA). Female amateurs from all nations are eligible to compete and there are no age restrictions. It was established in 1895, one month after the men's

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

and U.S. Open. It is the third oldest USGA championship, over a half century older than the

U.S. Women's Open The U.S. Women's Open is one of 15 national golf championships conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), is the oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships, which includes the Chevron Championship, Women's PGA Championship, ...

, which was first played in 1946. Along with the

British Ladies Amateur The Women's Amateur Championship, previously known as the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, was founded in 1893 by the Ladies' Golf Union. It is organised by The R&A, which merged with the Ladies' Golf Union in 2017. Until the dawn of t ...

, the U.S. Women's Amateur is considered the highest honor in women's amateur golf.

Robert Cox Cup

Since 1896 the Robert Cox Cup has been awarded annually by the USGA to the winner. The trophy was donated by Robert Cox of

Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, a member of the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

and a golf course designer. It remains the oldest surviving trophy awarded for a USGA championship. Along with a gold medal, a replica of the silver case of

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...

design is given to the tournament winner. The original trophy is on permanent display at the USGA Museum and Library. The Robert Cox Cup is the only USGA trophy donated by someone from another country. The first tournament attracted a field of 13 and was played over 18 holes. As in the case of the men's U.S. Amateur, entry was originally restricted to members of USGA-affiliated private clubs (and, presumably, international players who were members of clubs affiliated with their nations' golf governing bodies); this policy remained in place until the 1979 tournament. Several thousand women now enter the event, and the USGA conducts sectional qualifying to reduce the number of contestants to a more manageable number. The main tournament opens with two rounds of

stroke play Stroke play is a scoring system in the sport of golf. In the regular form of stroke play, also known as medal play, the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes. In a regular stroke play competition, the winner is the ...

. The leading 64 players then compete in a

match play Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 h ...

competition. The matches are played over 18 holes except for the final, which is played over 36 holes. In 1956,

Ann Gregory Ann Gregory (July 25, 1912 – February 5, 1990) was an African-American amateur golfer. Black newspapers had called her "The Queen of Negro Women's Golf." As stated in Arthur Ashe's book, ''Hard Road to Glory'', many observers called Gregory t ...

became the first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

to compete in the Championship, held that year at the Meridian Hills Country Club in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. There are no age restrictions on entry. Players must have a handicap index of 5.4 or less.

Morgan Pressel Morgan Pressel (born May 23, 1988) is an American professional golfer and golf commentator who played on the LPGA Tour. In 2001 U.S. Women's Open, 2001, as a 12-year-old, she became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open. She wa ...

qualified as a 13-year-old in 2001 and won in 2005 at the age of 17. The 2006 winner Kimberly Kim was only 14 years old, breaking the record previously held by

Laura Baugh Laura Zonetta Baugh (born May 31, 1955) is an American professional golfer, who played the LPGA Tour for 25 years. She is a published writer and golf broadcaster. Early life Baugh was born in Gainesville, Florida. Her father Hale Baugh, a lawye ...

. In 2007, Pearl Jin and Alexis Thompson became the first 12-year-olds to qualify and the first to advance to match play. Jin and Thompson faced one another in the third round match play. Thompson beat Jin, but then lost in the quarterfinals. Because the tournament is dominated by teenagers and college-age players who are working toward careers as tournament professionals, the USGA introduced a separate tournament in 1987 for players age 25 and over, called the

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 g ...

. It gives older amateur players an opportunity to compete among themselves for a national title; entrants must have a handicap index of 9.4 or less. The USGA rates

Glenna Collett Vare Glenna Collett Vare (June 20, 1903 – February 3, 1989) was an American amateur golfer. She earned induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame calls her the greatest female golfer of her day. Collett-Vare dominated American wome ...

as the most noteworthy champion who won the Robert Cox Cup a record six times. Several U.S. Women's Amateur champions who have gone on to become leading professionals including

Patty Berg Patricia Jane Berg (February 13, 1918 – September 10, 2006) was an American professional golfer. She was a founding member and the first president of the LPGA. Her 15 major title wins remains the all-time record for most major wins by a fem ...

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 and a silver in track and field at the ...

Louise Suggs Mae Louise Suggs (September 7, 1923 – August 7, 2015) was an American professional golfer, one of the founders of the LPGA Tour and thus modern ladies' golf. Amateur career Born in Atlanta, Suggs had a very successful amateur career, beginnin ...

and

Beth Daniel Beth Daniel (born October 14, 1956) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1979 and won 33 LPGA Tour events, including one major championship, during her career. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fa ...

. The two finalists win exemptions to the ensuing

, and the winner also wins exemptions to The Women's Open Championship and upon turning 50, the

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. This USGA championship is open to women whose 50th birthday falls on or before the first day of competition and hold ...

(one year exemption for players who eventually turned professional, and five years for players who did not turn professional).

Winners

Multiple winners

Nineteen players have won more than one U.S. Women's Amateur, through 2024: * 6 wins:

Glenna Collett-Vare Glenna Collett Vare (June 20, 1903 – February 3, 1989) was an American amateur golfer. She earned induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame calls her the greatest female golfer of her day. Collett-Vare dominated American wome ...

* 5 wins: JoAnne Gunderson Carner * 3 wins: Beatrix Hoyt,

Margaret Curtis Margaret Curtis (October 8, 1883 – December 24, 1965) was an American golf and tennis champion and lifelong social worker. From the Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts area, she was the youngest of ten children. Her father was a colonel ...

Dorothy Campbell Dorothy Lee Campbell (24 March 1883 – 20 March 1945) was a Scottish amateur golfer. Campbell was the first woman to win the American, British and Canadian Women's Amateurs. Early life She was born into a golfing family in North Berwick, Mid ...

Alexa Stirling Alexa Stirling Fraser (September 5, 1897 – April 15, 1977) was an American-Canadian amateur golfer. She won the U.S. Women's Amateur golf championship in 1916, 1919, and 1920. She also won the Canadian Women's Amateur title in 1920 and 1934. ...

Virginia Van Wie Virginia Van Wie (February 9, 1909 – February 18, 1997) was an American amateur golfer, best known for winning three U.S. Women's Amateurs, 1932–34. The Illinois-born golfer was the daughter of wealthy parents and learned the game at the Bever ...

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 ...

Juli Inkster Juli Inkster (nee Simpson; born June 24, 1960) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. With a professional career spanning 29 years to date, Inkster's 31 wins rank her second in wins among all active players on the LPGA T ...

* 2 wins:

Genevieve Hecker Genevieve Hecker (November 19, 1883 – July 29, 1960) was an American amateur golfer. A member of The Apawamis Club, she won New York City's Metropolitan Golf Championship in 1900, 1901, 1905, and 1906. Early life Hecker was born in Darien, Co ...

, Katherine Harley,

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 ...

, Barbara McIntire,

, Kay Cockerill, Vicki Goetze,

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 ...

Danielle Kang Danielle Grace Kang (born October 20, 1992) is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour. As an amateur, she won the U.S. Women's Amateur twice, in 2010 and 2011. She won the 2017 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, an LPGA ...

Kristen Gillman Kristen Gillman (born September 22, 1997) is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour. As an amateur, she won the U.S. Women's Amateur twice, in 2014 and 2018. Early life, college and amateur career Gillman is one of t ...

Seven players have won both the U.S. Women's Amateur and

Open Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gerd Dudek, Buschi Niebergall, and Edward Vesala album), 1979 * ''Open'' (Go ...

Championships, through 2024: *

: 1938 Amateur; 1946 Open *

: 1939, 1940 Amateurs; 1947 Open *

: 1946 Amateur; 1948, 1950, 1954 Opens *

: 1947 Amateur; 1949, 1952 Opens *

Catherine Lacoste Catherine Lacoste (born 27 June 1945) is a French amateur golfer and the only player who has won the U.S. Women's Open as an amateur. Early life She was born and grew up in Paris, France, with her parents, René Lacoste and Simone de la Chaume ...

: 1969 Amateur; 1967 Open * JoAnne Gunderson Carner: 1957, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1968 Amateurs; 1971, 1976 Opens *

: 1980, 1981, 1982 Amateurs; 1999, 2002 Opens Eleven players have won both the U.S. Women's and

Championships, through 2024: *

:^ 1909, 1910, 1924 U.S.; 1909, 1911 British * Gladys Ravenscroft: 1913 U.S.; 1912 British *

Pam Barton Pamela Espeut Barton (4 March 1917 – 13 November 1943) was an English amateur golfer. She was born in the London suburb of Barnes, the daughter of Henry Charles Johnston Barton and Ethel Maude Barton. 1931 saw Barton's first public appearance ...

:^ 1936 U.S.; 1936, 1939 British *

: 1946 U.S.; 1947 British *

: 1947 U.S.; 1948 British *

Marlene Stewart Streit Marlene Stewart Streit, (born March 9, 1934) is a retired Canadian amateur golfer, and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. She was born in Cereal, Alberta. She learned golf from Gordon McInnis Sr. at the Lookout Point Golf Club in Fonthill ...

: 1956 U.S.; 1953 British * Barbara McIntire: 1959, 1964 U.S.; 1960 British *

:^ 1969 U.S.; 1969 British * Carol Semple Thompson: 1973 U.S.; 1974 British *

: 1958, 1961, 1963 U.S.; 1980 British *

:^ 1996 U.S.; 1996 British ^ Won both in same year.

Future sites

Saucon Valley Country Club Saucon Valley Country Club is a country club in Upper Saucon Township, Pennsylvania, Upper Saucon Township in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania near both Allentown, Pennsylvania, Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Bethlehem. It ...

is slated to host in 2038.

Canterbury Golf Club Canterbury Golf Club is a private golf and country club located in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood, Ohio, US. The club was formerly the home of the DAP Championship, part of the Web.com Tour Finals. A member club of the USGA, Canterbury ha ...

is slated to host in 2039.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is also slated to host in 2041.
Pinehurst Resort is also slated to host in 2044.

Oakmont Country Club Oakmont Country Club is a golf course country club which, despite its name, is mostly located within the borough of Plum, Pennsylvania with only a small portion of the property actually in the small town of Oakmont. Established in 1903, the club ...

is slated to host in 2046.
Source

Notes

External links

Official site

{{Golf on NBC Amateur golf tournaments in the United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship Women's golf tournaments in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1895 1895 establishments in New York (state)