9 Huge Names Who Have Won The US Junior Amateur Championship

On Saturday at the US Junior Amateur Championship, Tyler Watts and Trevor Gutschewski will battle it out at the 76th edition of the tournament, as the teenagers look to add their name to an incredible role of honor.

Those who have won this event have gone on to forge incredible careers and, if you were to look back at past champions, you will notice that the list is littered with Major winners, Ryder Cuppers and World No.1s.

Below, we have taken a look at some of the big names to have picked up the US Junior Amateur Championship, with many familiar faces popping up in the tournament's history. 

Tiger Woods - 1991, 1992, 1993

Coming into this year's event, attention was on Tiger Woods' son, Charlie, who was making his debut in the tournament after qualifying for it. However, followed by large crowds, Woods Jr would miss out on the match play stages, after carding a 12-over-par score of 82 in the first round at Oakland Hills.

In regards to Woods Sr, he is just one of two players to have won the US Junior Amateur Championship more than once, with the 15-time Major winner claiming the prestigious amateur title from 1991 to 1993. In those three finals, he defeated Brad Zwetschke, Mark Wilson and Ryan Armour.

Jordan Spieth - 2009, 2011

Along with Woods, Jordan Spieth is the only other player to win this tournament more than once, as the three-time Major winner defeated Jay Hwang 4&3 and Chelso Bennett 6&5 in 2009 and 2011.

A year after his victory in 2011, Spieth turned professional at the age of 19, with three Major scalps and, currently, 13 PGA Tour titles being added to his resume. 

Scottie Scheffler - 2013

The current World No.1 won this event back in 2013, defeating Davis Riley 3&2 in the process. Scheffler was just 17-years-old at the time and, during his amateur career, won individual state titles from 2012 to 2014. This record matched Spieth's, with Scheffler becoming the top-ranked junior golfer in the country in 2014.

Since turning professional, Scheffler has dominated proceedings through 2022 to 2024, with the American picking up 12 PGA Tour titles, including two Masters wins at Augusta National and two Players Championship trophies.

Johnny Miller - 1964

A 25-time PGA Tour winner, including a US Open and Open Championship, Johnny Miller claimed the US Junior Amateur Championship in 1964, defeating Enrique Sterling Jr 2&1 in the process.

Turning professional five years after, Miller enjoyed an incredible career that earned him a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998. Along with his golf, Miller is known for his broadcasting career, working for NBC Sports.

David Duval - 1989

Graduating from the Episcopal High School of Jacksonville in 1989, Duval claimed the US Junior Amateur Championship that same year, as the American defeated Austin Maki 1-up.

Turning professional in 1993, Duval is famed for the incredible run of golf that saw him pick up 13 PGA Tour tournaments between 1997 and 2001. This run included The Open, with Duval holding the World No.1 spot for 15 weeks.

Hunter Mahan - 1999

In 1999, Hunter Mahan defeated fellow PGA Tour professional, Camilo Villegas, 4&2, in the final, with the American going on to forge a successful career in the professional ranks not long after.

Along with his amateur career, Mahan claimed six PGA Tour titles with his last coming in 2014. After his win, he struggled for form and is now teaching the boy's golf team at Liberty Christian in Texas.

Brian Harman - 2003

The 2023 Champion Golfer of the Year claimed his US Junior Amateur Championship in 2003, as he defeated Jordan Cox 5&4 at Columbia Country Club. Along with this amateur scalp, he won the Players Amateur in 2005, the Porter Cup in 2007 and was part of the winning Walker Cup sides in 2005 and 2009.

Since turning professional, his main stand out has been that Open Championship victory in 2023, an event he won by six strokes. Harman has also picked up the Wells Fargo Championship and John Deere Classic, with the American featuring at the Ryder Cup in 2023.

Will Zalatoris - 2014

After Scheffler's win in 2013, Will Zalatoris added himself to the role of honor in 2014, as he also defeated Riley in the final 5&3. The event that year was taking place at The Club at Carlton Woods in Zalatoris' home state of Texas.

Turning professional not long after, Zalatoris has one victory on the PGA Tour, which came at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. He also has three runner-up finishes in Major championships, but injury has somewhat halted his progress, so far.

Min Woo Lee - 2016

The Australian defeated Noah Goodwin 2&1 in the final to pick up his amateur scalp. In the process of his victory, both Min Woo and his sister, Minjee, became the first brother/sister pair to win the USGA's junior championships, with Minjee claiming the US Girls' Junior in 2012.

Like others on this list, Lee has gone on to forge an impressive career, with three victories on the DP World Tour a stand out. Within those titles is his home open of the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.

Other notable names...

Other notable players to have also put their name on the US Junior Amateur Championship include Sihwan Kim in 2004. Kim has two victories on the Asian Tour and was their Order of Merit winner in 2022, but failed to perform on the LIV Golf League.

Along with Kim, PGA Tour winner, Kevin Tway, won the event in 2005, with the American beating Brad Johnson in the final. Over the past few years, we have seen some future stars also win. One of those is Michael Thorbjornsen in 2018, who has only just recently turned professional.

Another player of note is Nick Dunlap, who won in 2022. Famously, at The 2024 American Express whilst still an amateur, Dunlap won the event and, not long after, turned professional. To add further, he made history at the Barracuda Championship that year, becoming the first player in PGA Tour history to win as an amateur and a professional in the same season.

It's not just the winners who have gone on to have great careers, though, as a number of players who finished runner-up have also won professionally. Justin Thomas, Akshay Bhatia, Matt Wolff, Trevor Immelman and Charles Howell III are just some of the names to have finished runner-up at the US Junior Amateur Championship.