U.S. Amateur Public Links
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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 today.
Eligibility is similar to that for the U.S. Amateur. Golfers must follow the USGA's guidelines for amateur status, which basically consider anyone who has ever played or taught golf for money to be a professional. 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 8.4 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.
- 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:
While the Public Links is a men's competition, the tournament rules do not bar women from entering the event. In 2005, 15-year-old prodigy Michelle Wie became the first woman to advance to the tournament proper, and also the first woman ever to qualify for a USGA men's championship.
As is the case for all other USGA championships, the original entrants are reduced to a manageable number by means of several sectional qualifying tournaments. The survivors then play two rounds of stroke play, with the top 64 qualifying for a single-elimination tournament held at match play. All knockout matches are held over 18 holes, except for the 36-hole final. (Before 2001, the final was an 18-hole match.)
The winner of the event earns an invitation to the following year's Masters, if 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 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, eventually 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 (which Wie herself won in 2003).
