Has an Amateur Ever Won the US Open?

Bobby Jones in 1928
Bobby Jones was a 4-time U.S. Open winner, all as an amateur. Central Press / Getty Images
by Brent Kelley
Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism.
Updated April 15, 2018

Amateur golfers compete in the U.S. Open every year. But has an amateur ever won the USGA's national championship?

Of course - Bobby Jones! Not just Jones, but Jones is one of the most famous golfers of all-time, he played competitively as an amateur, and he won the U.S. Open multiple times.

Jones won the U.S. Open four times, in fact. But he wasn't the only amateur, or the first, to win the USGA championship. Three other amateurs won prior to Jones' first win in 1923, and one more win during the decade of the 1930s. So a total of five amateurs won the U.S. Open eight times.

Amateur Winners at the US Open

The first amateur to win the U.S. Open was Francis Ouimet, in 1913. Jerome Travers won in 1915 as an amateur, and Chick Evans made it two amateur wins in a row in 1916.

Jones' wins came in 1923, 1926, 1929 and 1930.

Finally, amateur Johnny Goodman won the U.S. Open in 1933. Since Goodman, though, no other golfer playing as an amateur has won the U.S. Open tournament.