1897 U.S. Amateur: H. J. Whigham wins at Chicago Golf Club
H. J. Whigham won the 1897 U.S. Amateur at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, beating W. Rossiter Betts 8 & 6 in the final.
Updated October 21, 2026
Walk this draw in the U.S. Amateur room.
- Edition
- 3rd
- Course
- Chicago Golf Club, Wheaton, Illinois
- Format
- Match play
- Champion
- H. J. Whigham · Scotland
- Champion's title
- 2 U.S. Amateur
- Runner-up
- W. Rossiter Betts
- Final
- 8 & 6
- Entries
- 58
What happened at the 1897 U.S. Amateur
H. J. Whigham defended his title at Chicago Golf Club, beating W. Rossiter Betts 8 & 6.
The draw
Every match is recorded through the round of 16.
The final, 1897 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| H. J. Whigham | def. | W. Rossiter Betts | 8 & 6 |
Semifinals, 1897 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| W. Rossiter Betts | def. | Charles B. Macdonald | 1 up |
| H. J. Whigham | def. | Findlay S. Douglas | 6 & 5 |
Quarterfinals, 1897 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles B. Macdonald | def. | W. G. Stewart | 2 up |
| W. Rossiter Betts | def. | Herbert M. Harriman | 4 & 3 |
| H. J. Whigham | def. | A. M. Coats | 1 up |
| Findlay S. Douglas | def. | Arthur H. Fenn | 5 & 4 |
Round of 16, 1897 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| W. G. Stewart | def. | J. R. Chadwick | 3 & 2 |
| Charles B. Macdonald | def. | John Reid Jr. | 2 up |
| Herbert M. Harriman | def. | James A. Tyng | 3 & 1 |
| W. Rossiter Betts | def. | G. S. Willets | won on 19th hole |
| H. J. Whigham | def. | James A. Stillman | 4 & 3 |
| A. M. Coats | def. | H. R. Sweny | 3 & 2 |
| Arthur H. Fenn | def. | Devereux Emmet | 5 & 3 |
| Findlay S. Douglas | def. | D. R. Forgan | 4 & 3 |
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's U.S. Amateur data set (research collected through October 20, 2026). "unknown" means no source confirmed it; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the USGA's own record is used.
This year's champion, runner-up, result and venue come from GNN's first-pass host-sites table; the rest of the year record for 1895–1916 is still being written up. The draw comes from contemporary reports listed in the data.
Data: us-amateur.json.