Global Golf Post is pleased to present our 12th annual All-Amateur team selections.
We take great pride, and equal joy, in supporting the global amateur game. Our All-Am selections, which began in 2013, are intended to recognize outstanding individual performance during the calendar year for male and female amateurs, mid-amateurs and seniors.
There are 60 first-team players featured in this year’s selections, plus nearly 70 more players who merited honorable mention. These special competitors from around the world spotlight the best that amateur golf has to offer in 2024.
GGP concedes to a western bias in making our selections. We have very little window on the amateur game in Asia and Australasia but are comforted by the fact that many of the best amateurs in those parts of the world often compete in the top events in North America and Europe.
We were guided mainly by results in events counting toward the World Amateur Golf Ranking. These lists that the WAGR produces, which are products of a partnership between the USGA and R&A, generally are acknowledged to be the best in the game. The primary metric was performance in national events with strong fields, as measured by the WAGR Power Method. Local play, while considered, was given less weight.
The men’s and women’s amateur division consists of players who have yet to reach age 25. They are almost exclusively college players, many of whom are on the precipice of turning professional. We have honored some players who have already turned pro, but only their accomplishments as amateurs are considered in their selection. Similarly, junior golfers were considered based only on their achievements in “all ages” or collegiate tournaments.
To qualify for the men’s and women’s mid-am teams, the player must be at least 25 years old. Collegiate results, or accomplishments taking place before age 25, are not considered.
On the senior side, women must be 50 or older, and men must be 55 or older. These are USGA-recognized minimum ages for both divisions.
For all of our selections, we prepared a thumbnail sketch of what every competitor has accomplished in 2024. It is by no means a comprehensive description, and, in almost all cases, there were a variety of other factors involved in the decision-making process.
Ultimately, we lean upon the philosophy of the late Richard S. Tufts, who founded the Pinehurst (North Carolina) Resort, in writing about the essential spirit of amateurism, even if his creed has been altered by today’s creeping commercialism:
“[It] must be the backbone of all sport – golf or otherwise. In my mind an amateur is one who competes in a sport for the joy of playing, for the companionship that it affords, for health-giving exercise, and for relaxation from more serious matters. As part of this light-hearted approach to the game, he accepts cheerfully all adverse breaks, is considerate of his opponent, plays the game fairly and squarely in accordance with its rules, maintains self-control, and strives to do his best, not in order to win, but rather as a test of his own skill and ability. These are his only interests, and, in them material considerations have no part. The return which amateur sport will bring to those who play it in this spirit are greater than those any money can possibly buy.”