72nd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship – Fact Sheet

ARCHITECT
Donald Ross designed Inverness Club’s golf course, which opened in 1919. Restorations of the course were done by Arthur Hills in 1999 and Andrew Green in 2018. Many historic features from Ross’ first design were restored in 2018.

COURSE RATING AND SLOPE
Based on the course setup for the championship, the USGA Course Rating™ for Inverness Club is 76.5 and its Slope Rating® is 147.

WHO CAN ENTER     
The championship is open to any amateur golfers who will not have reached their 19th birthday on or before July 20, and who have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 4.4. The entry deadline was Wednesday, June 5.

ENTRIES
The USGA accepted 3,496 entries for the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur. The record number of entries is 4,508 in 1999.

SECTIONAL QUALIFYING
Sectional qualifying, played over 18 holes, was conducted from June 10-25. Qualifying was held at 56 sites in 39 states. California had the most qualifying sites with six, while Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas each had three.

CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
A starting field of 156 golfers will compete in the U.S. Junior Amateur. Practice rounds will be held on July 13-14. The championship begins with 18-hole stroke-play rounds on July 15 and 16. The field will then be cut to the low 64 scorers for match play. Six rounds of match play will determine the champion. The championship match is contested over 36 holes.

SCHEDULE OF PLAY
Monday, July 15 – First round, stroke play, 18 holes
Tuesday, July 16 – Second round, stroke play, 18 holes
Wednesday, July 17 – First round, match play
Thursday, July 18 – Second and third rounds, match play
Friday, July 19 – Quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, match play
Saturday, July 20 – Championship match, 36 holes

2018 CHAMPION      
Michael Thorbjornsen, 16, of Wellesley, Mass., rallied to defeat Akshay Bhatia, 16, of Wake Forest, N.C., 1 up, in the 36-hole final match on the Upper Course at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. Thorbjornsen, who trailed Bhatia for most of their match before pulling ahead for the first time on the 32nd hole, rolled a 42-foot birdie putt on the 36th hole to concession range to win the 71st U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Both players are entered in this year’s championship.

Before his 21-hole semifinal victory, Thorbjornsen had made easy work of his opponents in the match-play bracket, as his first four matches all ended before the 17th hole. It was clear in the early going of the final that this wasn’t going to be one of those matches. His tee shot on the first hole of the day ended up under the lip of the right fairway bunker, leading to a bogey and a quick deficit. Another bogey on the par-4 fourth hole put him 2 down, and he three-putted from 10 feet on No. 6 to go 3 down.

Thorbjornsen trailed by 2 down through 18 holes, but things started to tighten up in the afternoon. On the 21st hole, Bhatia saw a 15-foot par putt lip out to have his lead trimmed to 1 up. After matching Bhatia’s birdie putt on No. 22 with one of his own, Thorbjornsen squared things up on the following hole, when he stuck his approach shot from 130 yards to 7 feet and buried the putt. After Bhatia briefly retook the lead on the 29th hole, Thorbjornsen took advantage of a big break when his tee shot on the 30th hole, which was headed well left, hit a tree and dropped in the fairway. He proceeded to hit his approach shot to 12 feet and convert the putt to square the match yet again.

It was on the 32nd hole that Thorbjornsen hit perhaps the most memorable shot of his victory, when he drove the green on the 302-yard par 4, leaving himself 24 feet for eagle. He putted up for a conceded birdie and his first lead of the match, which he did not relinquish. Bhatia had a 4-foot putt for birdie on the 35th hole that would have squared the match, but couldn’t convert. His 45-foot birdie try from the front fringe on the 36th hole didn’t go in, opening the door for Thorbjornsen to clinch the title.

WHAT THE WINNER RECEIVES:
A gold medal and custody of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship Trophy for one year
An exemption for all future U.S. Junior Amateurs (if eligible)
An exemption from qualifying for the next two U.S. Amateurs (2019, 2020)
An exemption from qualifying for the 2020 U.S. Open (must be an amateur)

ADMISSION
Admission to the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

HISTORY
In 1948, the USGA inaugurated the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship to determine the best junior golfer in the United States and to help junior golfers realize the most from the game, win or lose. The first U.S. Junior Amateur was played at the University of Michigan Golf Course and received 495 entries.

Dean Lind, of Rockford, Ill., was the first champion. Lind defeated Ken Venturi, of San Francisco, a future U.S. Open champion, in the final. Only two players, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth, have won the Junior Amateur more than once; Woods winning in 1991, 1992 and 1993, and Spieth in 2009 and 2011.

In 2017, the U.S. Junior Amateur champion began receiving a full exemption into the following year’s U.S. Open Championship.

CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY
This large sterling silver trophy, produced by J.E. Caldwell and Co., of Philadelphia, is a replica of a bowl produced by noted early American silversmith Samuel Williamson, which is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Dean Lind was the first to receive the trophy after his 1948 victory at the University of Michigan Golf Course, in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The original U.S. Junior Amateur Trophy is on display at the USGA Golf Museum in Far Hills, N.J.

INVERNESS CLUB NOTES
►The 72nd U.S. Junior Amateur is the eighth USGA championship to be conducted at the club
►Inverness Club is the first club to host the U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur
►Inverness Club has hosted four U.S. Open Championships (1920, 1931, 1957, 1979)
►This is the 40th USGA championship and third U.S. Junior Amateur held in Ohio
►Inverness Club will also host the 2021 Solheim Cup, a biennial competition between teams of professional women’s golfers representing the United States and Europe

U.S. JUNIOR AMATEURS IN OHIO
Year, Course and Results
1977: Ohio State University Golf Club, Columbus (Willie Wood def. David Games, 4 and 3)
1986: Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin (Brian Montgomery def. Nicky Goetze, 2 and 1)

WINNERS OF U.S. OPEN & U.S. JUNIOR AMATEUR   
Winners, Years of Championships
Johnny Miller (1973 Open; 1964 Junior Amateur)
Tiger Woods (2000, 2002, 2008 Open; 1991, 1992, 1993 Junior Amateur)
Jordan Spieth (2015 Open; 2009, 2011 Junior Amateur)

LONGEST COURSES IN U.S. JUNIOR AMATEUR HISTORY
7,740 yards, Martis Camp Club, Truckee, Calif., 2013
7,366 yards, Colleton River Plantation Club (Dye Course), Bluffton, S.C., 2015
7,339 yards, Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio, 2019
7,326 yards, The Honors Course, Ooltewah, Tenn., 2016
7,313 yards, Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower Course), Springfield, N.J., 2018
7,280 yards, Baltusrol Golf Club (Upper Course), Springfield, N.J., 2018
7,275 yards, The Club at Carlton Woods (Nicklaus Course), The Woodlands, Texas, 2014
7,251 yards, Shoal Creek (Ala.) Golf & Country Club, 2008
7,175 yards, Golf Club of New England, Stratham, N.H., 2012
7,133 yards, Gold Mountain Golf Club (Olympic Course), Bremerton, Wash., 2011

TELEVISION SCHEDULE                           
The 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur will receive at least four hours of live network coverage. FS1 will air semifinal matches on Friday. Coverage of Saturday’s championship match will begin at 2 p.m. EDT. In 2018, Rolex became the exclusive presenting partner of coverage for eight USGA championships, including the U.S. Junior Amateur. Rolex’s commitment will allow an uninterrupted broadcast of these championships, providing fans hours of continuous live action.

Date                 Network                       Broadcast Hours (Local/EDT)
July 19             FS1                               Semifinal matches, 2-4 p.m.
July 20             FS1                               Championship match, 2-4 p.m.

IN DEFENSE  
Michael Thorbjornsen will defend his championship this year and attempt to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 1993 to win consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur titles. Min Woo Lee was the last champion who attempted to defend his title. Lee, who won the 2016 championship at The Honors Course, reached the Round of 64 at Flint Hills National Golf Club in 2017. Jim Liu, the 2010 champion, advanced to the Round of 32 in 2011. Jordan Spieth reached the Round of 32 in 2010 after winning the 2009 championship. Woods successfully defended his U.S. Junior Amateur title twice during his run of three consecutive championships from 1991-93.

Junior Amateur Champions Who Defended (since 1990)

Year                 Champion                                Result in Defense
2016                Min Woo Lee                            Round of 64 in 2017
2010                Jim Liu                                     Round of 32 in 2011
2009                Jordan Spieth                          Round of 32 in 2010
2007                Cory Whitsett                           Round of 64 in 2008
2005                Kevin Tway                              Semifinals in 2006
2004                Sihwan Kim                              Round of 16 in 2005
2003                Brian Harman                           Quarterfinals in 2004
2001                Henry Liaw                               Round of 16 in 2002
2000                Matthew Rosenfeld                  Round of 16 in 2001
1998                 James Oh                                Quarterfinals in 1999
1996                 Shane McMenamy                   Failed to qualify for match play in 1997
1992                 Tiger Woods                            Won in 1993
1991                 Tiger Woods                            Won in 1992

FIELD SIZE INCREASE IN 2020
Aligning with ongoing USGA initiatives to expand support of junior golf, the field size for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship will increase from 156 players to 264, beginning with the 2020 championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. (July 20-25). Chaska Town Course will serve as the stroke play co-host course, as it did for the 2006 U.S. Amateur Championship at Hazeltine National.

In 2017, the USGA announced several significant enhancements to the U.S. Junior Amateur. The maximum age for USGA junior championships was raised from 17 to 18, the field size was increased from 156, beginning in 2020, and a U.S. Open exemption was awarded to the champion.

FUTURE U.S. JUNIOR AMATEURS
July 20-25, 2020: Hazeltine National Golf Club and Chaska Town Course, Chaska, Minn.
July 19-24, 2021: The Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood and Cardinal Courses), Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
Please contact Brian DePasquale for more information regarding your U.S. Junior Amateur coverage plans. His contact information is:

Brian DePasquale: bdepasquale@usga.org, (O) 908-326-1884, (C) 908-655-8395

For more information about the USGA, visit usga.org. Media-specific information can be found in the USGA’s Online Media Center: mediacenter.usga.org. USGA communications will also share information through a Twitter handle @usga_pr to deliver news related to the championship.

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