U.S. Amateur
1904 Men’s U.S. Amateur
The field at the 1904 U.S. Amateur was the largest assembled to date. Among the players were many notable names, include A. W. Tillinghast, who of course later would become eternally linked with Baltusrol. Also present was Jerome D. Travers of Upper Montclair Country Club, a man who would go on to win four National Amateur titles.
Baltusrol was also well represented, with eleven Club members entering the Championship. In the end, however, H. Chandler Egan of Chicago would win the first of his two Amateur Championships, defeating New Yorker Fred Herreshoff in the final match.
1926 Men’s U.S. Amateur
The story of the 1926 U.S. Amateur Championship, which was played on the Lower Course, was the heroic battle between Bobby Jones, a peerless champion, and George Von Elm, a contender who would not be denied.
Entering the Championship, Jones was the odds-on favorite. He came to Baltusrol wearing three crowns -- the British Open, the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur. In fact, Jones was attempting to win his third straight Amateur Championship in 1926. But in the end, Von Elm would dethrone Jones, defeating him 2 and 1. Jones' infamous drive into the creek on 13 Lower proved to be the turning point of the Championship.
1946 Men’s U.S. Amateur
Baltusrol's Lower Course was the site of the 1946 U.S. Amateur, the first since 1941 when the Championship was suspended for four years during World War II. Ted Bishop was a professional golfer who had his amateur status reinstated by the USGA. His game featured a controlled fade that helped him at Baltusrol, as he played his 3-wood off the tee with great accuracy, especially in the final round.
In the finals, Bishop trailed his opponent, Smiley Quick, by two strokes after the first 18 holes. Bishop would make up the two strokes in the next round, however, forcing a tiebreaker hole. Here, Bishop sank his four-foot putt while Quick incredibly missed from two and a half feet, giving Bishop the Championship.
2000 Men’s U.S. Amateur
The 100th playing of the National Amateur Championship was another historic one. The qualifying rounds were contested over both the Lower and Upper courses, with the match play rounds on the Upper. Televised in 41 countries, the golfing world again focused on Baltusrol.
The final round was another historic battle. After 36 holes, the talented collegiate finalists, Jeff Quinney from Arizona State University and James Driscoll of Massachusetts, were all square. A few holes before, it looked like Quinney would take the title when he was 3 up with three to play. However, Driscoll won the next three holes with some clutch play and the match was forced into extra holes. With an impending thunderstorm looming, play was suspended for the evening. The next morning, on the record-tying 39th hole of the match, Quinney sank a 20-foot downhill speed putt on Three Upper to become the 100th Amateur Champion of the United States.