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 male amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association.

Related Topics:
United States - United States Golf Association

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The Mid-Amateur was first played in 1981 at Bellerive Golf Club in Creve Coeur, Missouri, near St. Louis. When introduced, it was the first new USGA championship created since the USGA Senior Women's Amateur in 1962.

Related Topics:
1981 - Bellerive Golf Club - Creve Coeur, Missouri - St. Louis - USGA Senior Women's Amateur - 1962

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Qualifications for the Mid-Am are similar to those for the U.S. Amateur, except for the following:

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• 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 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.

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Like the U.S. Amateur, the Mid-Am consists of two days of strokeplay, with the leading 64 competitors then playing a knockout competition held at matchplay 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. Open Champions was higher.

Related Topics:
Strokeplay - Matchplay

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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 and the U.S. Open.

Related Topics:
Jay Sigel - Champions Tour - The Masters - U.S. Open

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The USGA's analogous event for women is the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur.

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U.S. Mid-Amateur: List of winners ►