Philadelphia Cricket Club (Evan Schiller Photo)

The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, the newest USGA championship, was played for the first time in 2015 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. The event, which has no age restriction, is open to those with a Handicap Index of 5.4 or lower.

It is one of 14 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Exempt sides

Nathan Smith/Todd White (2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champions)
Benjamin Baxter/Andrew Buchanan (2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champions)
Scott Harvey/Todd Mitchell (2019 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champions)
Chad Wilfong/Davis Womble (2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champions)
Drew Kittleson/Drew Stoltz (2022 and 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball runners-up)
Evan Beck/Dan Walters (2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball semifinalists)
Carter Loflin/Wells Williams (2022 and 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball semifinalists)
Cohen Trolio/Joseph Deraney (Both members of side among top 400 points leaders in World Amateur Golf Ranking)
Hunter Swanson/Maxwell Lange (2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball quarterfinalists)
Jeff Koch/Simon Miller (Special Exemption by the USGA)
Maxwell Scodro/Charles Waddell (Special Exemption by the USGA)
Jackson Herrington/Blades Brown (2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball quarterfinalists)
Bryce Haney/Tyler Goecke (2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball semifinalists)

Last year

University of California-Berkeley teammates Aaron Du and Sampson Zheng of the People's Republic of China defeated Drew Kittleson and Drew Stoltz, 2 and 1, to claim the 8th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball title at Kiawah Island, S.C. Club's Cassique.

It was the second consecutive championship-match defeat for Kittleson, the 2008 U.S. Amateur runner-up, and Stoltz, a Sirius/XM PGA Tour Radio host. Du and Zheng were competing just days after the Golden Bears had narrowly missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships in Arizona.

What the champion receives

- A gold medal
- Custody of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Trophy for one year
- 10-year exemption into the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship (provided side remains intact)
- Exemption for each member of the side into 2024 U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club, in Chaska, Minn.
- Exemptions into the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. MId-Amateur and U.S. Senior Amateur, if age-eligible

Schedule

- Saturday, May 25 (18 holes, stroke play)
- Sunday, May 26 (18 holes, stroke play)
- Monday, May 27 (Round of 32, match play)
- Tuesday, May 28 (Round of 16/quarterfinal matches)
- Wednesday, May 29 (Semifinals/Championship match)

Future U.S. Amateur Four-Ball sites

2025: Plainfield Country Club, Edison, N.J. (May 17-21)
2026: Desert Mountain Club, Scottsdale, Ariz. (May 16-20)
2037: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Ore. (Dates TBD)