Amateur's Status

[Gxgolfer]

In Bobby Jones' time, it was a major. No

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For the longest time, Arnold Palmer used to think he won eight major championships.

Tiger Woods could say he has won 13 majors using that math, but he doesn't see it that way and never has. Ask him how many majors he has collected, and Woods doesn't hesitate to say the British Open last month was his 10th.

None of it really matters to Jack Nicklaus.

Whether he has 18 or 20 majors, he still holds the record.

"You could do it either way you want to do it," Nicklaus said. "I could have 20 and Tiger could have 13. I mean, I don't care. But I can't imagine that anybody would have thought of the U.S. Amateur being a major in the last 10 or 15 years. Forty years ago, they still looked at it that way."

Nicklaus spoke two weeks before the start of the U.S. Amateur, the oldest championship (by one day) in American golf and long considered a major title. He won it in 1959 and 1961 before turning pro, then captured the U.S. Open the following year for the first of 18 professional majors.

Somewhere along the way, the U.S. Amateur seems to have lost its status, if not some luster.

[Johnny]

US Am...no way is a major...because you are not going against the best the world has to offer. Great accomplish yes..major NO

[canadian_mike]

major now, no. major then, yes.if i never won a pro major, id take the us amateur next. this is a long debate. back during jones' time, it was a major along with the british am. so they counted it as a major. this was b4 the time of the pga championship and the masters. its still a long standing tradition in amateur golf and still a prized possesion.

[Lord Thomas]

Its an amateur major. While the US (and British) Amatuer is a big deal in Amateur golf, Phil Mickelson was considered the "best player without a major" for a long time, and he won a US Am, and Sergio Garcia is mentioned as being one of the best players without a major, and he won a British Am. I don't have a problem with Bobby Jones winning the "grand slam", as it was the grand slam of his day.

 

The grand slam / majors are ever evolving, but I don't think the professionals consider the Amateurs to be majors. That said, if I won one, I'd consider it a major.

 

-Thomas