The USGA has decided to honor Tiger Woods by putting his name on the U.S. Amateur medal and U.S. Junior Amateur trophy starting this year, the organization announced Saturday. Woods, who dominated the amateur level from 1991-96, is one of the all-time great champions at the junior level.
“The USGA and its championships have played an enormous role in my life,” Woods said in a release. “The U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateur were defining moments in my development, both as a golfer and as a person. To be recognized in this way is incredibly humbling, and I hope it inspires young players to chase their dreams and appreciate the history and values of the game.”
Before his record-setting professional career, Woods thrived as an amateur from ages 15-20. He won three straight U.S. Junior Amateur Championships and three straight U.S. Amateur Championships, a feat that has yet to be matched in either championship since, let alone both consecutively. In fact, no one has won back-to-back titles in either the U.S. Amateur or U.S. Junior Amateur since Woods’ three-peats.
Now, the winners of those championships will fittingly receive an award named for the greatest modern amateur. The U.S. Amateur trophy is already named the Havemeyer Trophy for the first president of the USGA, Theodore Havemeyer, but the U.S. Amateur champion will now receive the Tiger Woods Medal as well. The U.S. Junior Amateur trophy did not have a secondary name, so it will now bear that of Woods, a fitting honor for the greatest junior champion in USGA history.
“Tiger Woods redefined what was possible in amateur golf,” said Mike Whan, USGA CEO. “His achievements as a junior and amateur didn’t just set records — they set a new standard of excellence. Naming our U.S. Amateur Medal and U.S. Junior Amateur Trophy in his honor ensures that every future champion is forever connected to a legacy that helped shape the modern game.”
Woods joins Jack Nicklaus (U.S. Open), Mickey Wright (U.S. Women’s Open) and JoAnne Carter (U.S. Women’s Amateur) as pioneering players to earn the honor of having their names on medals given to champions.
The Tiger Woods Medal will be handed out for the first time at the 126th U.S. Amateur Championship at Merion Golf Club, and the first winner of the Tiger Woods Trophy will be crowned at the 78th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Saucon Valley Country Club.
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