Southern Golf Association
Established in 1902 and serving member clubs over a 15-state-area, The Southern Golf Association is one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious golf associations in the world.
Southern Amateur
The Championship was first played in 1902 at Nashville Golf & Country Club in Nashville, TN. A.F. Schwartz of New Orleans, LA defeated Percy Whitling 4 and 2 to win the inaugural event. The Championship was not played in 1918 due to World War I and 1942-1945 due to World War II. Format was changed from match play to stroke play in 1964. The 118th playing of the Southern Amateur Championship was held in 2024, at Idle Hour Country Club, in Lexington, Kentucky. Wenyi Ding claimed the title with an 18-under par 262.
1902 Club
The mission of the 1902 Club is to enhance and sustain the Southern Golf Association (SGA) to conduct two amateur golf Championships on the global golf stage. Individuals may become a member of the 1902 Club through its various Levels of Giving. Southern Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible under IRS rules.
Southern Junior
The Championship was first played in 1973 with Buddy Rountree from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida winning the inaugural event. Charles Howell III, of Augusta, Georgia holds the record with 3 victories (1994-1996). The 51st playing of the Southern Junior Championship was held in 2023, hosted by Baton Rouge Country Club in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Tyler Sanford of Montgomery, Texas was crowned the 52nd Southern Junior Champion.
Elite Amateur Golf Series
Formed in 2021 to challenge “The Best of the Best” in amateur golf, the Elite Amateur Golf Series (EAGS) aligns the top amateur championships in a collective competition, the Elite Amateur Cup. In addition to hosting the best players, Elite Amateur Cup events are contested at renowned venues and have the longest history of identifying the next great champions of the game. EAGS events hold a proven track record of conducting the most challenging competitive tests, making the championships among the majors of amateur golf. The seven founding championships that comprise the series have a distinguished history hosting the top talent and competitive play in amateur golf. These championships are the Sunnehanna Amateur, Northeast Amateur, North & South Amateur, Trans-Mississippi Amateur, Southern Amateur, Paciļ¬c Coast Amateur and the Western Amateur. More information about the Elite Amateur Golf Series, the Elite Amateur Cup and the seven individual championships is available at eliteamateurgolfseries.org. Follow @eliteamseries on Twitter and Instagram as well as @EliteAmateurGolfSeries on Facebook.
Since 1902...
The Southern Amateur Championship is currently one of the top-ranked amateur tournament in the World, according to WAGR Power ranking. Many past and present top-level tour players have competed and won the Southern Amateur Championship such as Ben Crenshaw, Justin Leonard, Hubert Green, Bob Tway and Lanny Wadkins to name a few. Robert Tyre Jones Jr. is a three-time champion of the Southern Amateur Championship (1917, 1920, 1922).
The Southern Junior Championship is annually held in June on the same week of The U.S. Open. Justin Leonard, of Dallas, Texas, has won the Southern Junior Championship twice (1988 & 1989). The Southern Junior Championship attracts many collegiate coaches, from prestigious Universities, spectating onsite. The Southern Junior Championship is annually held in June, the same week of The U.S. Open.
