Youngest and Oldest Winners of the U.S. Amateur Championship

The United States Amateur Championship dates to 1895. In that long history, who are the oldest and youngest winners of the U.S. Amateur? The oldest was almost 50, the youngest hadn't yet reached 18. There is a 30-year age gap between the youngest and oldest winners.

Youngest U.S. Amateur Winners

• 17 years, 11 months, 13 days old — Byeong-Hun An, 2009 (def. Ben Martin, 7 and 5, in final)
• 18 years, 1 month — Danny Lee, 2008 (def. Drew Kittleson, 5 and 4, in final)
• 18 years, 7 months, 29 days — Tiger Woods, 1994 (def. Trip Kuehne, 2-up, in final)

Danny Lee broke a Tiger Woods record, but only had the pleasure of holding the record one year. The current record-holder, Byeong-Hun "Ben" An, in 2009 became the first-ever 17-year-old to win the U.S. Amateur.

And whose record did Woods break in 1994? Robert Gardner. Gardner had held the record since winning the 1909 U.S. Amateur at the age of 19 years, 5 months. At the time of Woods' 1994 win, five 19-year-olds, including Gardner and Jack Nicklaus, had won the title. Tiger was the first 18-year-old to do so, and the current-recordholder, Ben An, the first champion aged 17.

Oldest U.S. Amateur Champ

• 47 years, 3 months, 9 days old — Jack Westland, 1952 (def. Al Mengert, 3 and 2, in final)

Westland isn't just the record-holder as the tournament's oldest champion, he is also the only United States Congressman to win the U.S. Amateur. Although he wasn't elected until two years after his victory.

Westland, a Washington state Republican, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1954. He won re-election in 1956, 1958, 1960 and 1962, before losing. During his time in the House, Westland championed civil rights.

As a golfer, Westland reached the championship match of the 1931 U.S. Amateur, where he lost to Francis Ouimet. He also won the 1929 French Amateur and 1933 Western Amateur, played for Team USA in three Walker Cups, and captained Team USA in the 1961 Walker Cup.

Related articles:

• Youngest and oldest winners of the U.S. Women's Amateur
• Golfers who won both the U.S. and British amateur championships
• Golfers who won the most USGA championships