United States Men's Mid-Amateur Golf Championship
Encyclopedia
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 1981 at Bellerive Country Club
in Creve Coeur, Missouri
, near St. Louis
. The Mid-Am was the first new USGA championship in 19 years, since the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur
was added in 1962.
Qualifications for the Mid-Am are similar to those for the U.S. Amateur, except for the following:
The U.S. Mid-Amateur does not have a gender restriction, but there has never been a female champion. The USGA's analogous event for women only is the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur
, first played in 1987.
The USGA specifically intended the Mid-Am as a championship for post-college golfers who were not pursuing golf as a career, as virtually all golfers who pursue a professional career decide to do so no later than their early twenties. This was most likely a response to the fact that less than half of all U.S. Amateur qualifiers are 25 or older, and most older golfers found themselves disadvantaged in competing against college golfers who typically play much more often.
Like the U.S. Amateur, the Mid-Am consists of two days of stroke play
, with the leading 64 competitors then playing a knockout competition held at match play
to decide the champion. The profile of Mid-Am champions, with respect to age, is somewhat similar to that of U.S. Amateur champions before World War II
. In that era, more top-level golfers chose to remain amateur, and the average age of U.S. Amateur Champions was higher.
While the list of winners is considerably less illustrious than that of the U.S. Amateur, one notable winner was Jay Sigel
, a three-time winner of this event and a two-time U.S. Amateur champion who went on to play the Champions Tour
. The winner receives an automatic invitation to play in the Masters Tournament.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for post-college amateur golfers, organized by the USGA
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association 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...
.
It was first played in 1981 at Bellerive Country Club
Bellerive Country Club
Bellerive Country Club is a golf country club located in Town and Country, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. The course will be hosting the 2013 Senior PGA Championship, and also the 100th annual PGA Championship, which will be held in 2018.-History:...
in Creve Coeur, Missouri
Creve Coeur, Missouri
Creve Coeur, derived from French for "heartbreak" , is a second-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in west St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The city derives its name from Creve Coeur Lake, which is shaped like a broken heart. The population was 17,833 at the 2010 census...
, near St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. The Mid-Am was the first new USGA championship in 19 years, since the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur
United States Senior Women's Amateur Golf Championship
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 1997 when it was changed to a match play event....
was added in 1962.
Qualifications for the Mid-Am are similar to those for the U.S. Amateur, except for the following:
- Competitors must be at least 25 years old as of the opening day of the main tournament.
- Competitors must have a USGA handicap index of 3.4 or lower, as opposed to 2.4 or lower for the U.S. Amateur.
The U.S. Mid-Amateur does not have a gender restriction, but there has never been a female champion. The USGA's analogous event for women only is the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur
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 handicap index of 9.4 or lower.The major amateur...
, first played in 1987.
The USGA specifically intended the Mid-Am as a championship for post-college golfers who were not pursuing golf as a career, as virtually all golfers who pursue a professional career decide to do so no later than their early twenties. This was most likely a response to the fact that less than half of all U.S. Amateur qualifiers are 25 or older, and most older golfers found themselves disadvantaged in competing against college golfers who typically play much more often.
Like the U.S. Amateur, the Mid-Am consists of two days of stroke play
Stroke play
Stroke play, also known as medal play, is a scoring system in the sport of golf. It involves counting the total number of strokes taken on each hole during a given round, or series of rounds...
, with the leading 64 competitors then playing a knockout competition held at match play
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; this is as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes...
to decide the champion. The profile of Mid-Am champions, with respect to age, is somewhat similar to that of U.S. Amateur champions before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In that era, more top-level golfers chose to remain amateur, and the average age of U.S. Amateur Champions was higher.
While the list of winners is considerably less illustrious than that of the U.S. Amateur, one notable winner was Jay Sigel
Jay Sigel
Robert Jay Sigel is an American professional golfer. He enjoyed one of the more illustrious careers in the history of U.S...
, a three-time winner of this event and a two-time U.S. Amateur champion who went on to play the Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
. The winner receives an automatic invitation to play in the Masters Tournament.
Winners
- 2011 Randal Lewis
- 2010 Nathan Smith
- 2009 Nathan Smith
- 2008 Steve Wilson
- 2007 Trip KuehneTrip KuehneErnest W. "Trip" Kuehne III is an American amateur golfer. He is most remembered for his life-changing defeat at the hands of Tiger Woods in the 1994 U.S. Amateur, and his subsequent steadfast refusal to turn professional in favor of a successful amateur career.-Early achievements:Kuehne was born...
- 2006 Dave Womack
- 2005 Kevin Marsh
- 2004 Austin Eaton III
- 2003 Nathan Smith
- 2002 George Zahringer
- 2001 Tim Jackson
- 2000 Greg Puga
- 1999 Danny Green
- 1998 John "Spider" Miller
- 1997 Ken Bakst
- 1996 John "Spider" Miller
- 1995 Jerry Courville, Jr.
- 1994 Tim Jackson
- 1993 Jeff Thomas
- 1992 Danny Yates
- 1991 Jim Stuart
- 1990 Jim Stuart
- 1989 James Taylor
- 1988 David EgerDavid EgerDavid Benjamin Eger is an American professional golfer on the Champions Tour.Eger was born in Fort Meade, Maryland. He attended the University of North Carolina, and later East Tennessee State University...
- 1987 Jay SigelJay SigelRobert Jay Sigel is an American professional golfer. He enjoyed one of the more illustrious careers in the history of U.S...
- 1986 Bill Loeffler
- 1985 Jay SigelJay SigelRobert Jay Sigel is an American professional golfer. He enjoyed one of the more illustrious careers in the history of U.S...
- 1984 Michael Podolak
- 1983 Jay SigelJay SigelRobert Jay Sigel is an American professional golfer. He enjoyed one of the more illustrious careers in the history of U.S...
- 1982 William Hoffer
- 1981 Jim HoltgrieveJim HoltgrieveJames Holtgrieve is an American amateur golfer who had a brief professional career.Holtgrieve was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri and Washburn University....
Multiple winners
- 3 wins: Jay SigelJay SigelRobert Jay Sigel is an American professional golfer. He enjoyed one of the more illustrious careers in the history of U.S...
, Nathan Smith - 2 wins: Tim Jackson, John "Spider" Miller, Jim Stuart
External links
- Official site (most information is in the archive sections)