The Palmetto Amateur has been contested since 1976, first as the Aiken Golf Classic and then, beginning in 1998, as the Palmetto Amateur. The tournament is held at the historic Palmetto Golf Club, where golf was first played in Aiken, SC, in 1892.
Bobby Bai of Shantou, China fired four straight rounds in the 60s to win the 2017 Palmetto Amateur by five shots. He finished the tournament at twelve under par, and was the first qualifier and international player to win the Palmetto Amateur in tournament history.
Henry Shimp of Charlotte, NC shot 65 in the final round to finish runner up at seven under par.
The Palmetto Amateur receives more applications than we can accommodate as a top 100 world amateur event. As such, we select those with distinguishable golf performance credentials. While the Palmetto Amateur is included in all world amateur rankings, the dominant ranking that we rely on is the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking or “SPWAR”. We also place distinguishable weight on prior finishes “of note” in the Palmetto Amateur as well as finishes in collegiate events, top junior events, top Mid-Am events, top senior events, and USGA events. Any amateur worldwide ranked among the top 300 in the SPWAR at date of entry is assured a place in the field as long as spots remain available.
