The 25 best amateur golfers of all time

The buff Bryson is one of 14 golfers who have won both the United States Amateur and an individual NCAA national championship. DeChambeau, who played collegiately at SMU, recorded both titles in 2015 -- making him the fifth and most recent golfer to win both tournaments during the same calendar year. He also participated in the Palmer Cup, Walker Cup and was a low amateur at the Masters in 2016.

Leonard won the 1992 U.S. Amateur, then two years later the Texas Longhorn claimed the NCAA individual national championship. In addition, Leonard, who won 12 times on the PGA Tour and was the winner of The Open Championship in 1997, earned All-American honors in 1993 and '94. In '93, Leonard was honored with the Haskins Award as the nation's top collegiate golfer.

To say Beman's life has been all about golf would be a severe understatement. He's one of 13 golfers (as of 2021) to win both the U.S. Amateur and the British Amateur. The Washington D.C. native who was a two-time All-American at Maryland, won the latter in 1959, then claimed his first U.S. Am title in 1960. Beman later snagged a second U.S. Amateur championship three years later. As a pro, Beman won four PGA Tour events and was the second commissioner of the PGA Tour, serving in the role from 1974-'94.

Another golfer who won both the U.S. Amateur and an NCAA individual championship. In Verplank's case, his U.S. Am title came in 1984, one year after he helped Oklahoma State win the team national championship. Then in 1985, Verplank became the first amateur in 29 years to win a PGA Tour event -- at the Western Open in suburban Chicago. Verplank capped his brilliant collegiate career by taking national medalist honors in 1986.

Sigel is one of the more interesting members of this list. Notable because he did not turn pro until he was 50 (in 1993), and old enough to compete on the PGA Tour Champions. Prior to that, Sigel worked in the insurance field but still had time to win the British Amateur in 1979 and back-to-back U.S. Amateurs in 1982 and '83. Also in '83, Sigel became the first golfer to win both the U.S. Am and U.S. Mid-Amateur in the same year. To cap things off, Sigel earned low amateur honors at The Open Championship (1980), Masters (1980, '81, and '88), and the U.S. Open (1984).

Part of the famous golfing Turnesa Family. Willie, the youngest of the seven golfing brothers and only one not to turn pro, won his first U.S. Amateur title in 1938. It would be exactly a decade later that Turnesa claimed his second U.S. Am crown (1948). In between, Turnesa won the 1947 British Amateur. In addition to his stellar individual amateur golf accomplishments, Turnesa was a key member of three consecutive winning American Walker Cup squads (1947, '49, and '51).

Little established himself as perhaps the best amateur golfer, worldwide, during the 1930s. The Rhode Island native is the only golfer to win the U.S. Amateur and the British Amateur in the same season more than once -- 1934 and 1935. In 1935, Little won the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award as the most outstanding amateur athlete as recognized by the American Athletic Union (AAU). Little turned pro in 1936, and four years later was the U.S. Open champion.

There might not have been a better amateur golfer during the first decade of the 1900s. The Chicago native won back-to-back U.S. Amateur titles in 1904 and '05. Before that, he was the college ranks' individual national champion in 1902 while captaining the Harvard men's golf team, which won three national team titles from 1902-'04. In 1904, Egan won an individual golf silver medal at the St. Louis Summer Olympics. After his competitive days were done, Egan made a living as one of the country's most renowned golf course designers, notably in the Pacific Northwest and California.

A two-time winner of the U.S. Amateur (1896, 1897) and the first to repeat as champion of that event, Scotland's Whigham also turned heads when he finished fifth at the 1896 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and was a T8 at the same tournament the next year. The latter earning him low amateur status. On another interesting note, following his first U.S. Amateur victory, Whigham wrote a book about golf instruction. 

Robbins turned pro in 1958, but before that he won 12 tournaments as an amateur. That included the 1954 NCAA national championship as a member of the Memphis State golf team and the U.S. Amateur in 1957. The supremely talented Robbins was also a member of the U.S. team for the America's Cup in 1956 and '58, as well as the Walker Cup in 1957. He and his American teammates were victorious in all three.

If there was a notable amateur championship up for grabs in the 1940s and '50s, Chapman probably won it. Chapman won the U.S. Amateur in 1940, the Canadian Amateur in 1949, the 1951 British Amateur, and the French Open Amateur twice (1939, 1952). In addition, Chapman won state amateur championships in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and the Carolinas. Chapman, who never turned pro, also made 19 starts at the Masters.

Travis' three U.S. Amateur titles (1900, 1901, and 1903) are tied for third-most in the history of the prestigious event. Following that run of dominance at the U.S. Am. Travis won the British Amateur -- the first non-British golfer to win the tournament. When his playing days had finished, Travis was noted as one of the most renowned golf course designers. Some of his more prominent came with his design or remolding of the Country Club of Scranton, Westchester Country Club's West course, Hollywood Golf Club, and Garden City Golf Club.

One of the great collegiate golfers of all time. The pride of the University of Texas, Crenshaw won three consecutive individual NCAA national championships (1971, '72, and '73). He also won the Haskins Awards each of those three seasons. Before enjoying a stellar pro career that included 19 PGA Tour victories, including Masters wins in 1984 and 1995, Crenshaw won 13 times as an amateur.

The year was 2004, and Ryan Moore was arguably the best amateur golfer on the planet. During that special year, Moore won the individual NCAA national championship while representing UNLV, the U.S. Amateur, prestigious and tradition-rich Western Amateur, and the U.S. Amateur Public Links for the second time. Moore turned pro the next year, and to date has won five times on the PGA Tour.

From 1930 to 1934, there weren't many better amateur golfers than Dunlap. He kicked off that decade by winning the individual collegiate national championship in 1930 and repeated in 1931 while attending Princeton. Dunlap then claimed his lone U.S. Amateur title in 1933. That same year, he also won the British Amateur. Dunlap repeated that British AM feat in 1934. He also won the prestigious North and South Amateur seven times.

One of the first names that comes to mind when thinking about amateur golf is the legendary Chick Evans. Before he founded the famed Evans Scholar Foundation that offers college scholarships for worthy caddies, Evans became the first amateur to win both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur in the same year (1916). Evans won the U.S. Am again in 1920. He also holds the record with eight Western Amateur titles and was part of three Walker Cup teams (1922, '24, and '28).

Ward joins Dıck Chapman as the only golfers to win the British Amateur (1952), Canadian Amateur (1954), and the U.S. Amateur (1955, '56). Before completing that impressive trifecta, Ward won the individual NCAA national Championship while attending North Carolina in 1949. Ward was also part of the three winning U.S. Walker Cup squads (1953, '55, and '59) -- going undefeated through all six matches in the process.

Before Jack Nicklaus compiled his 18 major championship victories, he won the U.S. Amateur in 1959. He also won the event in 1961, the same year he claimed the individual NCAA national championship while starring for Ohio State. In between, The Golden Bear placed second at the 1960 U.S. Open, 2 strokes back of Arnold Palmer, and was also low amateur at the Masters the same year. 

Hilton was the first native of England to win the U.S. Amateur, outlasting Fred Herreshoff on the 37th hole at The Apawamis Club in Westchester County, N.Y. in 1911. However, Hilton's true success came across the pond where he won the British Amateur four times. Though Hilton never played as a professional, he won The Open Championship in 1892 and again in 1897. When his playing days had passed, Hilton turned to writing about golf. He was the first editor of Golf Monthly and worked for Golf Illustrated. 

Before Lefty was winning majors at age 50, he was piling up individual national championships for Arizona State. Mickelson took national medalist honors in 1989 and 1990, and again in '92 -- matching Ben Crenshaw as the only golfers to claim three NCAA individual titles. In 1990, the four-time first-team All-American and three-time Haskins Award recipient won his only U.S. Amateur. Becoming the first left-hander to claim that championship.

In 1913, Massachusetts native Ouimet became the first amateur to win the U.S. Open, beating greats of the time Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in an 18-hole playoff. Doing so in his hometown of Brookline, Mass. The accomplishment came one year before Ouimet won the first of his two U.S. Amateur titles, and is essentially the basis for the 2005 film The Greatest Game Ever Played. Ouimet was stripped of his amateur status by the USGA for a stretch after golf's governing body in America felt he was using his success to promote his sporting goods business. Ouimet, who served in the U.S. Army during World War I, regained his amateur status and won the U.S. Am in 1931.

Travers' four U.S. Amateur titles rank second all time. He won his first two back-to-back in 1907 and '08, then again claimed the championship in consecutive years of 1912 and '13. In 1915, Travers won U.S. Open as an amateur, doing so at Baltusrol Golf Club. Though all of Travers' competitive golf success came as an amateur, he eventually became a teaching pro. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1976. 

The undisputed king of amateur golf in England. Ball, like a certain dominant American golfer that we'll talk about in a minute, never turned pro. It didn't matter. Ball won the British Amateur eight times (1888, 1890, 1892, 1894, 1899, 1907, 1910, 1912). He also has the honor of being the first English-born golfer to win The Open Championship (1890). Adding to his European dominance, Ball won four Irish Amateur championships. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1977.

Golf fans obviously know about the massive success Woods has enjoyed since turning pro in 1996. Before that, however, he was an elite amateur who had sports fans counting the seconds until he officially became a professional. Woods' three U.S. Amateur titles (first to win three in a row from 1994, '95, and '96) are tied (with Walter Travis) for third-most in the history of the event. He also won the 1996 national championship while the star of the Stanford men's golf team. Before that, he became the first golfer to win the U.S. Junior Am three times. Tiger was also low amateur at the Masters in 1995 and The Open Championship in 1996.

Not only is Jones considered the greatest amateur golfer of all time, but he's one of the most important athletes in all of sports. Before Jones retired from competitive play at age 28, the practicing lawyer, who found time to play a little golf, won a record five U.S. Amateur titles (1924, '25, '27, '28, and '30). Oh yeah, he also won the U.S. Open four times and The Open Championship on three occasions -- all coming as an amateur. In total, Jones won 34 tournaments and a Grand Slam (1930) while never turning pro. He then founded the Augusta National Golf Club and helped start a little tournament known as the Masters.