U.S. Amateur Public Links

U.S. Amateur Public Links

The U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, is a men's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the United States Golf Association. The USGA typically calls the event the U.S. Amateur Public Links, which it has registered as a service mark. The tournament was devised as, and remains, a championship for golfers who play on public courses, as members of private clubs are barred from entry.

The first Public Links was held in 1922 at the Ottawa Park Course in Toledo, Ohio. The event has grown over time, from 140 entries in 1922 to over 6,000 in 1998.

Eligibility is similar to that for the U.S. Amateur. Golfers must follow the USGA's guidelines for amateur status, which, in general, exclude anyone who has every played or taught golf for money. The Public Links, like the U.S. Amateur, has no age limit. However, there are two key differences in the eligibility criteria for the Public Links:

• Entries are accepted from golfers with a USGA men's handicap of 4.4 or lower, as opposed to 2.4 for the U.S. Amateur.
• Entries are not accepted from players who have playing privileges at golf clubs not open to the general public, and such golfers are not allowed to compete if they receive such privileges between their entry and the end of the main tournament.
  • Exceptions to above: The USGA does consider some players with privileges at non-public facilities to be "bona fide public course players," specifically those whose privileges are solely due to any of the following:
    • Their enrollment in a specific educational institution.
    • Their status as active or retired members of the military.
    • Their current or former employment by an entity other than a golf club.

The Public Links is open to men and women, although very few women have ever entered. In 2005, 15-year-old Michelle Wie became the first woman to advance to for the match-play portion of the tournament. She is also the first woman to ever qualify for any USGA championship typically played by men.

Entrants qualify to play in the U.S. Amateur Public Links by playing one of many qualifying tournaments held at sites around the United States with players completing 36 holes of stroke play in one day. The 64 qualifiers play in the tournament proper which begins with three rounds of stroke play to narrow the field to 16 players who then compete in a single-elimination match play tournament. Each match is 18 holes except the championship match which is 64 holes; before 2001, the final was an 18-hole match.)

The winner of the event earns an invitation to the following year's Masters, if he/she is still an amateur at the time of The Masters.

The 2005 edition, held in Lebanon, Ohio, drew an unusually large amount of media attention due to Michelle Wie's presence. She had stated on several occasions that she wished to one day play in The Masters, and this event was generally considered to be her best chance to qualify. Wie advanced to the match play rounds, losing in the quarterfinals to Clay Ogden, who went on to win the tournament.

The analogous event for women is the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, established in 1977.

Trevor Immelman became the first winner of the Public Links to win a Major Championship with his victory at the 2008 Masters Tournament. His playing partner in the final round Brandt Snedeker was also a past Public Links winner.