The USGA has provided a window into the field makeup for this year’s U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur. The events remain the only amateur championships of the USGA’s usual 10-event amateur lineup that will be played in 2020. Because of the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, fields that normally hinge on one-day qualifiers conducted all over the country will now be filled through exemption categories, much like the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open.
On Wednesday, the USGA revealed those exemption categories, and also noted that both fields will be pared down. The U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes Resort in Bandon, Oregon, will be cut from its usual 312-man field to 264 players. The U.S. Women’s Amateur, which will be played at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, will feature 132 players instead of the normal 156.
“We are extremely grateful to state and local government officials in both Maryland and Oregon for their cooperation and partnership in working through logistics for these championships,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director, Championships. “We are all facing new parameters brought on by current realities and will continue to partner with all parties as we navigate conducting these amateur championships under new guidelines.”
The exemption categories rely heavily on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The top 225 men in that ranking will be exempt into the U.S. Amateur with the top 75-ranked women being eligible for the Women’s Amateur. The cutoff date for rankings selections is June 24. Interestingly, another WAGR-based criteria also exists, and it reflects the historical differences in the age makeup of the two events.
Many summer amateur events preserved, but back to basics
Using the WAGR age filter, the top 20-ranked women under the age of 19 are exempt while the top 25 men over the age of 25 will gain entry.
The USGA typically rewards its champions – and contenders – by granting entry into its other amateur championships, and that theme remains in 2020. There are exemption categories for various numbers of high finishers in past U.S. Amateurs, U.S. Mid-Amateurs, U.S. Juniors, U.S. Seniors and last year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (as well as the corresponding events on the women’s side).
Spots are also carved out for winners of the British Amateur, Asia-Pacific Amateur and the Latin America Amateur for the men. Spots are reserved in the Women’s Amateur for the European Ladies Amateur champion and the winner of the Women’s Mexican International Amateur.
Typically the summer amateur calendar would be humming by now. A year ago this week, the Sunnehanna Amateur, Monroe Invitational (won by eventual U.S. Am champ Andy Ogletree) and the Southeastern Amateur were all playing out across the country from the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
Aside from state amateurs and state opens, though, little competitive golf has been played over the past month. The Rice Planters Amateur at Snee Farm Country Club in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, will be a sort of kick-off on the men’s side on June 23-25, with newly created back-to-back women’s amateur events, dubbed the U.S. Women’s Elite Amateur Golf Championships, debuting June 23-25 in Northport, Florida.
A handful of the top amateur events on both the men’s and women’s side will also play a role in field selection, thanks to the USGA. The top two finishers at the North & South Amateur, Western Amateur, Southern Amateur and Sunnehanna Amateur all receive a spot in the U.S. Amateur.
Likewise, a U.S. Women’s Amateur exemption will go to the top two finishers at the North & South Women’s Amateur, Women’s Western Amateur and Ladies National Golf Association Championship (formerly the Trans-Miss Women’s Amateur).
Remaining spots in the championship field will be filled using the WAGR. Once the field is set, the USGA will compile an alternate list for each championship based on those rankings. All non-exempt players who want to be considered for the remaining spots or alternate status must complete a preliminary application.
Entries open for both championships on June 26, and more information regarding testing protocols, travel guidance and other logistics will be made available then.