United States Amateur Championship

United States Amateur Championship, golf tournament conducted annually in the United States from 1895 for male amateur golfers with handicaps of three or less. The field of 150 golfers is determined by 36-hole sectional qualifying rounds. The championship is conducted by the United States Golf Association.

The championship, originally at match play (most winning holes), was changed to medal play (fewest strokes) in 1965 but returned to match play in 1973. From the 1960s on, the tournament had increasing difficulty in attracting top-flight contestants year after year because most promising young amateurs became professionals. Among amateur champions who later became outstanding professionals are Arnold Palmer (1954) and Jack Nicklaus (1959, 1961). Bobby Jones, one of the greatest American golfers, who first played in the 1916 tournament and won in 1924–25, 1927–28, and 1930, never turned professional.