The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside of the UK) is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur. It normally has the widest international representation of any individual amateur event, with 34 golf federations from all six continents represented in the 2010 championship.[1] It has always been held under traditional links golf conditions, near the coasts of the British Isles. It has been held in the UK on all but one occasion; in 1949 Ireland hosted the championship.
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The event was founded in 1885 by the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, and has been formally organized by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews since 1921. Before World War II it was regarded as one of golf's major championships, but given the modern dominance of the sport by professional golfers, this is no longer the case. Surprisingly, considering the prestige the event still carries, only one Amateur Championship winner in the post-World War II era has gone on to win a professional major—José María Olazábal.
Entry to the Championship is now given to the most-qualified 288 applicants from around the world, with perhaps half the places reserved for top players from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Qualifying rounds for all players were first introduced in 1983, when the popularity of the championship led to the number of applicants increasing to unmanageable levels. Major golf nations are allocated entries on what amounts to a quota basis for their top applicants, with each applicant's national federation cooperating with the R&A on selection. For example, the 2010 entry list included players from the British Isles (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland), mainland Europe (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Iceland), North America (USA, Canada, Mexico), South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Peru), Asia (China, India, South Korea, Japan, Singapore), Australasia (Australia, New Zealand) and Africa (South Africa).[1]
The first stage of the Championship involves 288 players, each of whom plays two rounds of 18 holes, one on each of two courses, over the first two days. The 64 lowest scores over the 36 holes, and ties for 64th place (broken by sudden-death playoffs held as soon as possible) compete in the match play stage of the Championship, on the event's principal course, and are seeded by qualifying scores. Each match consists of one round of 18 holes, except for the Final, which is over 36 holes. Tied matches are broken by sudden death through extra holes. The event is played in June, normally with a Monday through Saturday schedule.
The winner receives invitations to two of the major championships, namely the following month's Open Championship, and the following year's Masters Tournament. The Amateur Championship is open to amateur golfers of any nationality in good standing with their national federations. Briton John Ball won the most career titles, with eight. In modern times, Briton Michael Bonallack's five titles lead. The most famous American winner of the competition was Bobby Jones, whose 1930 victory was part of his Grand Slam.
The courses that have hosted the Amateur the most times (through 2011):
Sixteen players have won more than one Amateur Championship, through 2011:
Three players have won both the Amateur and the Open:
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