A Shrinking Divide

Michael Thorbjornsen with Webb Simpson at the 2022 Travelers Championship Photo: Ben Jared, PGA Tour via Getty Images

PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY | Each year when the U.S. Amateur champion is crowned, there’s a moment of reflection to assess everything that transpired throughout the season. It’s a time to look back on the top performances, growing trends and indelible memories of the year.

Walking out of Ridgewood Sunday night after a dramatic 36-hole championship match between winner Sam Bennett and runner-up Ben Carr, here are a few thoughts on the amateur season that was:

The days of top-ranked amateurs playing a full summer schedule of individual amateur tournaments are endangered.

Of the top 20 players in the world – 10 on the men’s side and 10 on the women’s side – 16 of them played two or fewer individual amateur events all summer. Tournaments like the U.S. Women’s Amateur are struggling to pull in the best players because there just isn’t enough room in a schedule full of international travel.

There have even been, on r...