youngest ever winner, only to be eclipsed by 17-year-old An Byeong-hun the following year. Before the professional game became dominant, the event was regarded as one of the majors. This is no longer the case, but the champion still receives an automatic invitation to play in all of the majors except the PGA Championship. In addition, the runner-up also receives an invitation to play in the Masters and the U.S. Open. The golfers must maintain their amateur status at the time the events are held (unless they qualify for the tournaments by other means). The USGA added an exception starting with the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship in that the tournament winner only may turn professional and keep his berth for the ensuing U.S. Open. With the growth in professional golf through the latter half of the 20th century, the U.S. Amateur has become dominated by younger players destined to soon become professionals. In 1981 the USGA established a new championship called the U.S. Mid-Amateur for amateurs aged at least 25 years old in order to give players who had not joined the professional ranks, and those who had regained their amateur status, a chance to play against each other for a national title. Field While most players at the U.S. Amateur advance through sectional qualifying, many players are exempt each year. Below are the exemptions: Winners of the U.S. Amateur each of the last ten years. Runner-up of the U.S. Amateur each of the last three years. Semi-finalists of the U.S. Amateur each of the last two years. Quarter-finalists of the U.S. Amateur the previous year. Any player who qualified for the current year's U.S. Open. Those returning 72 hole scores from the previous year's U.S. Open. The amateur with the lowest score from the current year's U.S. Senior Open. From the U.S. Mid-Amateur: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year. From the U.S. Amateur Public Links: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year. Because the Amateur Public Links was discontinued after its 2014 edition, the runner-up exemption disappeared after the 2015 U.S. Amateur, and the winner's exemption disappeared after 2016. From the U.S. Junior Amateur: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year. From the U.S. Senior Amateur: winner each of the last two years and runner-up from the previous year. Playing