The Amateur Championship, which in 2025 comes from Royal St George’s and Royal Cinque Ports, is one of the two biggest events in the men’s amateur game, the other being the US Amateur.
Each year, a field of 288 competes at the event, which features two rounds of 18 holes in the first two days, with the field whittled down to the top 64 and ties, who then compete in the match play stage, culminating in a 36-hole final.
Through the years, many previous champions have gone on to make a name for themselves in the game, including Grand Slam winner Bobby Jones, Major winners Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia and multiple DP World Tour winner Matteo Manassero.
Even for those who ultimately don’t go on to a long and glittering career in the game, winning the tournament is a huge achievement and ensures a place in the history books.
There are also attractive perks for the champion. Here are some of the biggest.
Championship Trophy And Medal
The most obvious perk of winning The Amateur Championship is lifting the famous trophy, but the winner also receives some hardware to keep in the form of a gold medal.
Major Exemptions
Arguably, the most attractive perk of winning the title is the player has the chance to test his ability against the world’s best in three of golf’s biggest events, with places at The Open, The Masters and the US Open on offer.
There is one caveat: the winner needs to have retained amateur status by the time they tee it up in each of the Majors.
A Multi-Year Exemption Into The Amateur Championship
The competition to gain a place in the 288-player field is intense every year, with the 2025 edition attracting 612 entrants. However, the winner doesn’t need to concern himself with how to earn a slot at future editions for a long time to come if they remain an amateur.
That’s because of the 20-year exemption handed to the champion, double the number of years guaranteed to the US Amateur champion into future editions of the USGA event.
A Multi-Year Exemption Into The US Amateur
The winner can also take their place in the US Amateur for the next five years. That means that whoever wins in 2025 will be able to head to the Olympic Club in San Francisco for September's event, Merion in 2026, Oak Hill in 2027, Whistling Straits in 2028 and Inverness Club in 2029.
An Exemption Into A DP World Tour Event
The winner also gets to experience a DP World Tour event. In 2024, Jacob Skov Olesen made history as the first Dane to win The Amateur Championship. The following month, he played in a DP World Tour event for the first time, the Danish Golf Championship, where he placed T5. He turned professional that November after earning his DP World Tour card via Q-School.
World Amateur Golf Rankings Points
The winner can also expect to collect a sizeable haul of World Amateur Golf Rankings points. In 2024, Jacob Skov Olesen amassed 22.6191 for his win, over four more than runner-up Dominic Clemons. In 2023, Christo Lamprecht won 23.0197 points for his victory, taking him to third in the rankings.
The number of points available to each player at WAGR events is based on the power ranking of the event, the size of the field and the player's finishing position. For comparison, the winner of an event with the lowest power will claim approximately 5.3 ranking points. The maximum that can be awarded is 25.
