U.S. Amateur

The U.S. Amateur is the biggest amateur championship of the season, and the reward is fitting. The winner of the U.S. Amateur gets a spot in the Masters Tournament, Open Championship, and the U.S. Open, and the runner-up also earns a spot in the Masters Tournament and U.S. Open. In 2024, Jose Luis Ballester of Arizona State won the championship, and Noah Kent of Iowa and now Florida finished runner-up to earn the exemptions. 

British Amateur Championship

The winner of the historic British Amateur Championship earns exemptions into the Masters Tournament, the Open Championship, and the U.S. Open. However, the 2024 champion, Jacob Skov Olesen, has since turned professional. He was the first Danish golfer to win the championship.Latin America Amateur Championship

Justin Hastings, a standout at San Diego State, became the first player from the Cayman Islands to win the Latin America Amateur. With the win, he secured spots in the 2025 Masters Tournament, the 2025 U.S. Open, and the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush. 

Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship

The winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur earns exemptions into the Masters Tournament and Open Championship. However, similar to Skov Olesen and the British Amateur, Wenyi Ding won the 2024 Asia-Amateur and has since turned professional, so he will not be using his exemptions.

European Amateur

Tommy Morrison of Texas became the first American to win the European Amateur after securing the victory in 2024. With this win, he will head to Royal Portrush as he earned a spot in the 2025 Open Championship. 

African Amateur

The winner of the Africa Amateur Championship, which was introduced in 2024, receives an exemption into the Open Championship. 17-year-old South African Bryan Newman won the 2025 championship and will head to Royal Portrush with Morrison. 

U.S. Mid-Amateur

Virginia native Evan Beck, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the AmateurGolf.com Mid-Amateur Rankings, won the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur and finished as the runner-up in the 2023. With his victory, Beck earned a spot in the 2025 U.S. Open Championship and 2025 Masters Tournament. 

U.S. Junior Amateur

The winner of the most prestigious junior championship of the year earns a spot in the 2025 U.S. Open.

Canadian Amateur

The champion will receive an exemption into the 2026 RBC Canadian Open, as well as an invitation to the 2025 U.S. Men’s Amateur Championship. The winner will also receive an exemption into final qualifying for the 2026 U.S. Open and into the 2026 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

Canadian Collegiate Invitational

The tournament will be once again co-hosted by Kent State University and Penn State University. The intercollegiate tournament will feature eleven NCAA Division I teams along with the winners from the 2025 Canadian University/College Championship. The individual champion will receive an exemption into the 2026 RBC Canadian Open and the top five will earn exemptions into the 2026 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. The boys NextGen Selection Camp will run concurrently with the invitational.

NCAA Championship

The individual winner of the NCAA Division I National Championship gets an exemption into the 2025 Masters Tournament and 2024 U.S. Open, since the championship was in May. Hiroshi Tai of Georgia Tech earned this honor and he missed the cut, but he will head to Augusta next month for his second major.

Southern Highlands Collegiate

In years past, the winner of the Southern Highlands would get a Shriners Children’s Open exemption for October, but the Shriners is not on the PGA TOUR schedule in 2025. In 2024, Ian Gilligan of Florida won the Southern Highlands and finished T16 at the Shriners Open.

Valspar Collegiate Invitational

Luke Clanton, the No. 1 ranked player in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings, won the Invitational last year and will tee it up at the 2025 Valspar Championship with his winners exemption. He has earned his PGA Tour card at the conclusion of the collegiate season through the PGA Tour's Accelerated Program.

Genesis Invitational Showcase

The Genesis Invitational Showcase is a one round tournament normally played at Riviera Country Club (not in 2025 due to the wildfires) and the winner earns an exemption into the Barracuda Championship.

Valero Texas Collegiate

The four-day event will feature some of the finest college golfers in the country as well as some storied golf programs in the NCAA, with the individual winner of the tournament receiving an exemption into the Valero Texas Open. Ben James of Virginia won the 2024 edition of the tournament. 

Ben Hogan Collegiate

The winner of the Ben Hogan Collegiate earns a spot in the Charles Schwab Classic for the following year. Last season, David Ford won the tournament to secure his spot in the 2025 field.

White Sands Bahamas Invitational

Kieron van Wyk, a senior at College of Charleston, won the White Sands Intercollegiate and earned a spot in the Puerto Rico Open with the win. He took full advantage, entering the final round just one shot back of the leader and finishing in the top five. 

Cabo Collegiate

Florida State sophomore Tyler Weaver punched his ticket to his first PGA Tour start after winning medalist honors at the 2025 Cabo Collegiate, topping Oklahoma State's Preston Stout and Arizona State's Pongsapak Laopakdee on the third playoff hole to claim the win.

Weaver earned an exemption and will make his PGA Tour debut this fall at the World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal at Diamante.

Jones Cup Invitational

Gray Albright of Florida State defeated his teammate Jack Bigham in a playoff to earn a spot in the RSM Classic as the winner of the Jones Cup does every year.

Monroe Invitational

Beginning in November 2025, the champion of The Monroe Invitational will receive a coveted invitation to compete in The Butterfield Bermuda Championship to be held at Port Royal Golf Club. Cooper Smith won the 2024 Monroe Invitational 

Dogwood Invitational

The Dogwood winner receives two PGA Tour of Australasia Tournament Invites. Garrett Engle, a senior at Chattanooga, won in 2024. The Oklahoma transfer also finished runner up at the Porter Cup.

Arnold Palmer Cup

According to the Arnold Palmer Cup website, Selection of the Arnold Palmer Cup representative in the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard and The Amundi Evian Championship will be determined by a vote of the 48 Arnold Palmer Cup participants prior to the competition.

The players will select a member of each team (excluding themselves) who they think best represents the “Arnold Palmer Legacy,” that is, the character and values that Arnold Palmer has exhibited during his legendary career. The top vote-getters from the winning team will earn the invitation. The Arnold Palmer Cup player selected must remain a collegiate golfer to utilize their exemption

Elite Amateur Series Overall Champion

The top five of the Elite Amateur Golf Series each earn different exemptions into certain events, but the events are picked to best fit their schedule. You can find the full list of exemptions HERE.

Ben Hogan Award Winner

The Ben Hogan Award is given annually to honor the best college golf player in the United States. Since 2005, the award winner is named at a ceremony prior to the PGA Tour event at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, and is invited to the following year's tournament, the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Augusta Haskins Award Invitational

Founded in 1979, The Augusta Haskins Award Invitational presented by Valspar carries on the rich tradition of golf in Augusta, Georgia. The winner receives an automatic exemption into the PGA TOUR’s 3M Open.

Devil’s Elbow Invitational

The iconic Mid-Amateur championship takes place in the Dominican Republic and offers a rare mid-amateur exemption into the Corales Puntacana Championship for the following year.

Mark H. McCormack Medal

Luke Clanton of Florida State won the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading male in the 2024 World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®. The McCormack Medal winner receives exemptions into the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club and The Open at Royal Portrush.

Nicklaus Award

The Nicklaus award is another top collegiate award. Jackson Koivun of Auburn won the 2024 award and as the Division I winner of the Jack Nicklaus Award, Koivun earned a spot in the elite field for the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

New Year's Invitational

The Korn Ferry Tour's LECOM Suncoast Classic recently started offering an exemption to the winner of the New Year's Invitational. 

Western Amateur

Florida standout Ian Gilligan won the Western Amateur and earned an exemption into the NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational

The winner of the Bridgestone now gets an exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour's The Ascendant presented by Blue in the summer. 

PGA Tour University

North Carolina senior David Ford earned an exemption into the DP World Tour's Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club. Ford earned the exemption by finishing the fall portion of the collegiate golf schedule ranked No. 1 in the PGA TOUR University rankings.

We will have a full list of women's amateur championships that provide exemptions into professional events coming soon