S.F.’s Olympic Club gets U.S. Amateur in 2025
San Francisco’s Olympic Club landed another national championship Thursday.
The USGA announced sites for the U.S. Amateur, including the Olympic Club in 2025. This will be the fourth time Olympic has hosted the Amateur, and the first time since 2007.
Thursday’s news is especially notable in light of the Olympic Club’s agreement in November 2017 to hold the PGA Championship (in 2028) and Ryder Cup (in 2032). The PGA of America runs those events, competing with the USGA for prestigious venues on which to hold their marquee tournaments.
Olympic, which has hosted five U.S. Opens — most recently in 2012, when Webb Simpson won — essentially switched sides after negotiations for a sixth Open broke down.
But this announcement of another U.S. Amateur on the horizon marks a clear step in the thawing of tensions between Olympic Club and USGA officials. Olympic’s Lake Course also will host the U.S. Women’s Open in 2021.
“I wouldn’t say this ‘fixes’ our relationship,” Olympic Club general manager Pat Finlen said. “We’ve always had a great relationship with the USGA, and this is just another positive step. While we’re not hosting an Open for the next 10 to 12 years, we’re excited to host an Amateur. It just reinforces our relationship.”
The club’s three previous U.S. Amateurs were played in 1958, 1981 and 2007. Charles Coe won in ’58, Nathaniel Crosby (Bing’s son) won in ’81 and Colt Knost defeated Michael Thompson in the ’07 title match.
Olympic has a rich tradition of sponsoring amateur sports, dating to the club’s inception in 1860. It currently fields 19 different amateur teams in various sports.
“We’re an athletic club, not a golf club,” Finlen said. “When members think about the Olympic Club, they think about amateur sports. This (event) fits the club so well.”
Northern California is set to host many big golf tournaments in the coming years, starting with the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in June. Also on tap: the PGA Championship at Harding Park in May 2020; the Women’s Open at Olympic in June 2021; the Women’s Open at Pebble Beach in ’23; and the Presidents Cup at Harding Park, Walker Cup at Cypress Point and now U.S. Amateur at Olympic Club in ’25.