Justin Golba

1: The NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa was an awesome experience, in my opinion. The venue was great, the leaderboard was stacked, and the golf was fun throughout the week for both men and women.

2: I thought it was an awesome year for Mid-Amateurs as well. From contending at the U.S. Amateur to a fantastic U.S. Mid-Amateur, some of the top mid-amateur tournaments are coming down to great finishes, like the Crump Cup and Coleman Invitational. 

Sean Melia 

1: The Curtis Cup immediately comes to mind. What an incredible event that hits all the amateur golf notes. The 20 amateur women played outstanding golf. The world's No. 1 amateur and defending ANWA champion, Lottie Woad, helped the underdog Great Britain and Ireland team take home the title. It was another moment for Asterisk Talley to shine and hit some incredible shots under pressure. Sunningdale was an exceptional venue that, once again, proves that venues matter. 

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2: The Neal Shipley experience at The Masters and U.S. Open was a delight. First, Shipley arrived under the radar among his amateur competitors at Augusta National. Stewart Hagestad and Christo Lamprecht garnered the most attention. However, Shipley shot 71-76 and was the only amateur to survive the windy weather on Friday to grab a weekend tee time. To cap it all off, Shipley was paired with Tiger Woods on Sunday and ended up shooting 73 to beat Woods by four shots. Then, Shipley earned low amateur at the U.S. Open. It was another Sunday of Kismet for Shipley, as he was paired with Luke Clanton. The two dueled on the Donald Ross gem for low amateur honors, and in the end, Shipley edged Clanton by a shot. 

Scott Tomasello

1: Watching Luke Clanton continue his path of excellence. I first saw Luke play when he was in 9th grade. Since then, he has always shown a tremendous competitive spirit and positive attitude. In my opinion and many others, it’s not a matter of whether he’ll be a winner on the PGA Tour; it’s when. 

2: Seeing influencers tee it up against aspiring professionals at “The Q at Myrtle Beach.” Everyone jokes we wish an everyday Joe could play Bethpage at the PGA Championship alongside Justin Thomas and see just how big of a difference there is. At “The Q,” we got as close as we could to that idea. We also got to see how some of these influencers can compete.

Cameron Spraggins

1: The amateur golf world exploded in 2024 when 20-year-old Nick Dunlap stunned everyone by winning The American Express, the first amateur to do so since Phil Mickelson in 1991. By July, Dunlap had turned pro and made history again, snagging another win at the Barracuda Championship, becoming the first player since Doug Sanders in 1956 to win on Tour as both an amateur and a pro. Dunlap started the year as a standout collegiate player in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; he wrapped up 2024 with two PGA Tour victories, a top-50 FedEx Cup finish, and capped it all off by turning 21 this month. Talk about a breakout year!

2: Amid this year’s standout moments in amateur golf, Rianne Malixi’s sweep of the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur finishes on the podium. Taking down one of the world’s best amateurs, Asterisk Talley, in both finals, Malixi etched her name in history. She joins Seong Eun Jeong (2016) as the only women to win both USGA titles in the same summer—a feat that’s as rare as it is remarkable. Malixi started the year ranked 60th in the world. She’s finishing it at No. 3.

Amit Pandey 

1: Ranked No. 3570 among amateur golfers worldwide, Trevor Gutschewski from Nebraska pulled off a remarkable victory at the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur held at Oakland Hills Country Club. What made his achievement even more special was his triumph in the Round of 32, where he defeated U.S. National Junior Team member Blades Brown. Brown, notably, has chosen to forgo college to pursue a professional golf career, aiming to secure a PGA Tour card—a path previously taken by Akshay Bhatia. Which in itself is another favorite moment of the year.

2: Being from India, I thought it would be interesting to share some Indian sports news. Avani Prashanth, a former two-time All India Ladies Champion and a 2023 winner on the Ladies European Tour Access Series (LETAS), has achieved a significant milestone. She finished tied for 16th at the LET Qualifying Tournament in Morocco, securing full playing rights for the 2025 season. Avani is now only the third Indian golfer to earn full LET playing privileges through the qualifying process.