[Glenn Spencer]

Who do you think are the best amateurs of all time?

No specific order and no women-I will say

Bobby Jones
Jack Nicklaus
Tiger Woods
Jay Sigel
Frank Stranahan
Gary Wolstenholme
Ryan Moore
Phil Mickelson
Curtis Strange
Justin Leonard

[Sam Sikes]

Ill throw vinny giles in there, for someone who never turned professional.

He has won pretty much everything there is to win, including low am at the masters.

[Tom Ferrell]

One *glaring* omission - Scott Verplank.  He won everything in sight when he was in college, including the Western Open, defeating Jim Thorpe in a playoff.  Was "the next Nicklaus" before Tiger was.  

Ben Crenshaw also had a pretty damn good amateur career - three consecutive NCAA titles.

[Glenn Spencer]

He is right there, no question.

[Glenn Spencer]

Tom,

Thanks, I certainly gave him consideration, having won at Butler and all, but I don't think he won the Amateur did he? I know Curtis didn't either, but he was strong all the way around. Do you happen to have some other Verplank accomplishments that I should know?

Glenn

[peter_mcknight]

Michael Bonallack.

[Glenn Spencer]

Peter,

Is he a better choice than Wolstenholme?

[Tom Ferrell]

Verplank won the 1984 U.S. Amateur and the 1986 NCAA and a whole bunch of stuff that I lack the mental faculties to recall.  But it was a big amateur career, to be sure.  

[SPDB]

Charlie Coe

[Glenn Spencer]

Tom,

I did not know that and therefore you are absolutely 100% correct. He certainly belongs and way up there. Where was that Amateur?

[Tom Ferrell]

Verplank's win in the '84 US Am was at Oak Tree GC, where I believe he now lives or at one time lived.

[Jordan Wall]

Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods, IMO

[PThomas]

Jones may have been the greatest player of all time, pro or amateur

[Mike_Sweeney]

Who is the only golfer to have won the Australian, British, Canadian and United States amateur championships?

Marlene Stewart Streit was always an amateur, I believe.

[David_Tepper]

Bob Jones is the obvious #1. Tiger winning 3 USGA Juniors and 3 US Am's six years in a row is obvious #1A.

Unless I am mistaken, Lawson Little won the US Am and the British Am in the same year, two years in a row in the 1930's. That is quite an achievement!

[David_Tepper]

Lawson Little won both the US and British Ams in 1934 and 1935.  Assuming they were both draws of 64 players, winning that double-double means he won 24 matches in a row. Draws of 32 would make it 20 matches in a row. In either case, winning that double-double is very impressive.

[Craig Sweet]

I always thought William Campbell had a pretty good and long amateur career.  He qualified something like 33 consectutive years  for the Amateur.

[wsmorrison]

Max Marston.  

He had a wonderful amateur career but his 1923 year rivaled anything outside of Jone's magical 1930.  He won the Patterson Cup, Philadelphia Am, Silver Cross, PA Amateur, Merion club championship, Crump Cup (PVGC did not have a club championship at that time), medalist and winner of US Am and undefeated in Walker Cup play.

[Bill Gayne]

If it was my list I would Bobby Jones at the top. I would probably consider having Francis Quimet and CB McDonald on the list.

The requirements for amateur status was very different in the early 19th century. Many professionals of that time period would be considered amateur under today rules. I think it was CB McDonald who didn't take any compensation as a golf course architect to maintain amateur status (maybe somebody can confirm).

[SL_Solow]

How does Harvie Ward stack up on this list?  Going back a little further in time and across the pond, John Ball had a career that is tough to ignore.  Read some of the early writers and find out how special he must have been.

[wsmorrison]

Chick Evans:

52 years of competitive golf.  
1907, 1908,1911 and 1944 Chicago Amateur
1909,1912,1914,1915,1920,1921,1922 and 1923 Western Am
1910 Western Open
1911 North and South Amateur
1911 French Amateur
1914 US Open runner up
1916 US Open
1916,1920 US Amateur (3 times runner up and 7 other times semifinalist)
1921,1922,1923 and 1928 Walker Cup team member
1957 Sr. Bowl

[Tom Ferrell]

Clearly, Francis Ouimet belongs near the top of the list.  There are so many good amateur careers to choose from!

[JSlonis]

I'm a bit biased, but I'd have to put Harvie Ward on the list...

Member of 3 Walker Cup teams- Undefeated record in all three matches.

US Amateur Champion- 1955 & 1956, one of only nine players to ever win consecutive championships.

1948 North & South Champion

1952 British Am Champion

1949 NCAA National Champion

1954 Canadian Amateur Champion

Played in 10 Masters, was low am in 1955 & 1957.  In 1957 he was 1 shot out of the lead after 54 holes.

Played in 8 US Opens, his best finish was 6th in 1955

Played at Cypress Point with Venturi against Hogan & Snead in what many call "They Greatest Match Ever Played".  Hogan & Snead won 1 up over Ward & Venturi.  The medal scores for the day were:

Hogan-63
Venturi-65
Nelson-67
Ward-67

Harvie also won a host of other prominent Amateur events from the late 1940's through the 1950's.

He was also one of the finest people I've ever had the chance to meet.  During my college years in North Carolina, I got to know Harvie quite well.  I used to visit him at Pine Needles for golf lessons.  Even in the early 1990's, when Harvie was in his late 60's, he could still play like nobody's business.  In 1990, thanks to Harvie, I got to experience a day that I'll never forget.  I got to attend the Wednesday practice round for the Masters with Harvie.  At the time, he was teaching Payne Stewart.  We spent some time with Payne on the practice tee and then went out on the course for 9 holes, before Payne had to get ready for the Par 3 Contest.  The highlight of the day was when I arrived to meet Harvie at the practice range.  I was looking all over for him among the crowds and he spotted me  first...I heard him yell out, "Jamie, my boy...c'mon over here."  When I got to Harvie on the range he says to me..."I suppose you heard of these fellas".  As I picked my jaw off the ground, I was able to mutter, "Yes, I think I have!"  I was standing with Harvie, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead!!!

[Glenn Spencer]

JSlonis,

No argument here!! I was looking for other suggestions.

[TEPaul]

For US career amateurs who probably have the most enduringly impressive records---chronologically;

Chick Evans
Bob Jones
Harvie Ward
Jay Sigel

That is off the top of my head because I haven't looked up their career records. I know Sigel's is long and impressive though. One time I was playing with him in the first round of I think the Lynnewood Hall and they decided to announce everyone and their records on the first tee. I think Jack Connelly was doing it over a bullhorn. It took him about 7 1/2 seconds to announce me and my career record and it seemed like it took him about 7 1/2 minutes to announce Sigel and his career record. It was so long I can't remember it all but one thing stuck in my mind and I think I'm right in saying it, and that is Sigel played in 11 straight Masters. Not just 11 but 11 STRAIGHT! God knows how many Walker Cups he played in.

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