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Golf Monthly

Sport

Mike Hall

10 Big Names To Have Won The US Open Low Amateur Honors

US Open the US Open Jon Rahm Jordan Spieth Fred Couples Phil Mickelson Scottie Scheffler Viktor Hovland Matt Fitzpatrick Matt Kuchar

Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm winning the US Open low amateur medal.

The low amateur medal has been won by a host of players since it was introduced at the US Open in 1979.

While they may not have been well-known at the time of their achievement, some have become among the highest-profile players in the game.

Here are a selection of some big names to have secured the Jack Nicklaus medal:

Viktor Hovland: 2019

Viktor Hovland finished T12 at the 2019 US Open (Image credit: Getty Images)

In 2019, the US Open was hosted at the iconic Pebble Beach, and Norwegian Viktor Hovland shot a final-round 67 to finish in a tie for 12th place.

His four-round total of 280 was not only impressive on its own, it also broke Jack Nicklaus' record for lowest score by an amateur in the US Open.

Hovland has gone on to win six times on the PGA Tour to cement himself as one of today's top players. He is arguably the best player yet to win a Major, with four top-sevens in the Majors since 2022.

Hovland also played in the 2021 and 2023 Ryder Cups and looks set to be a fixture in the European team for years to come.

Scottie Scheffler: 2017

Scottie Scheffler has gone on to become of the best players this era has seen (Image credit: Getty Images)

Scheffler and Cameron Champ were the only two amateurs to make the cut at the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills.

Scheffler won the low amateur honors by one stroke as he finished one under-par to finish tied for 27th.

Since then, the American has become the best golfer on the planet. He claimed the 2022 Masters title as part of a stunning breakout year and won it again in 2024 in what is shaping up to be an historic season.

Jon Rahm: 2016

Jon Rahm won the US Open low amateur in 2016 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Rahm turned professional after finishing as the low amateur of the 2016 US Open at Oakmont, and has reached incredible heights since then.

The Spaniard went on to win the tournament in 2021 at Torrey Pines, while he claimed his second Major title with the 2023 Masters.

He has also represented Team Europe in the Ryder Cup three times and spent 52 weeks as World No.1.

In total, Rahm has claimed 11 PGA Tour wins and 10 on the DP World Tour to confirm his status as one of the most impressive players of his generation.

Matt Fitzpatrick: 2014

Matt Fitzpatrick won the 2014 US Open low amateur (Image credit: Getty Images)

Like Rahm, Fitzpatrick turned professional after achieving the low amateur honors at the 2014 US Open a year after he arrived on the scene as US Amateur champion.

The Englishman has kicked on extremely well since, with ten professional wins, largely on the DP World Tour. However, his crowning glory to date came in the 2022 US Open at The Country Club of Brookline, where he beat Will Zalatoris for his first Major title at the same venue he won the US Amateur.

Fitzpatrick was also the youngest Englishman to win five times on the European Tour.

Jordan Spieth: 2012

Jordan Spieth went on to win the US Open three years after becoming low amateur (Image credit: Getty Images)

Spieth won the low amateur medal in 2012 at the Olympic Club, and went on to win the US Open at Chambers Bay three years later. That was his second Major title of the year, after he also won The Masters at Augusta National a couple of months earlier.

The only Major title that eludes Spieth is the PGA Championship, but with plenty of years ahead of him, many believe it is only a matter of time until he completes a career Grand Slam.

Spieth has also played in five Ryder Cups and had four spells at the top of the world rankings.

Patrick Cantlay: 2011

Patrick Cantlay has had a successful career since becoming the 2011 US Open low amateur (Image credit: Getty Images)

Cantlay finished tied for 21st at the 2011 US Open at Congressional and has gone onto achieve plenty of further success in the game, including eight wins on the PGA Tour and a highest world ranking of third.

He also lifted the FedEx Cup in 2021.

While he has yet to win a Major, he's come close on a number of occasions, and has had four top-10 finishes.

Nick Taylor: 2009

Taylor's 65 in the round 2 at Bethpage Black in 2009 set the record for lowest score by an amateur in Major history. He ended the week in T36th to win the low amateur honors before becoming the no.1-ranked male amateur golfer in the world.

The Canadian famously went on to become the first ever home player to win the Canadian Open in 2023, which was his fourth PGA Tour victory.

Incredibly, that T36 in 2009 remains his best US Open finish to date.

Matt Kuchar: 1998

Matt Kuchar became US Open low amateur in 1998 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Matt Kuchar won the low amateur at the US Open all the way back in 1998, when he finished in a share of 14th place at the Olympic Club.

Since then, he has gone on to record nine wins on the PGA Tour, including victory in the 2012 Players Championship.

While Kuchar has yet to win a Major, the former World No.4 has recorded top-10 finishes in each, including runner-up at the 2017 Open.

Phil Mickelson: 1990 And 1991

Phil Mickelson became US Open low amateur twice (Image credit: Getty Images)

Lefty finished as low amateur at the US Open in both 1990 and 1991, held at Medinah and Hazeltine respectively, to become the only amateur to win the title two years consecutively.

Any golf fan knows how well Mickelson has done since then, going on to win six Majors, including three Masters victories, marking him out as one of the greats. Among those was the 2021 PGA Championship title, which made him the oldest Major winner in history, aged 50.

The US Open is one Major trophy that Mickelson is yet to claim, despite coming agonisingly close six times.

Fred Couples: 1979

Fred Couples at the US Open in 1984, five years after becoming low amateur (Image credit: Getty Images)

The oldest player on this list to win the low amateur was Fred Couples, all the way back in 1979 at Ohio's Inverness Club. He finished at 18-over-par in a difficult week of scoring to clinch the amateur medal by two strokes.

A 15-time winner on the PGA Tour and Masters champion in 1992, it's fair to say that Couples has had a successful career since that achievement. He is not done yet, either. At the 2023 Masters, Couples became the oldest player to make the cut in the tournament, aged 63.

He is currently playing on the PGA Champions Tour, where he has won 14 times.