1978 U.S. Amateur: John Cook wins at Plainfield Country Club
John Cook won the 1978 U.S. Amateur at Plainfield Country Club in Plainfield, New Jersey, beating Scott Hoch 5 & 4 in the final.
Updated October 22, 2026
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- Edition
- 78th
- Dates
- August 29, 1978 to September 3, 1978
- Course
- Plainfield Country Club, Plainfield, New Jersey
- Format
- match play
- Champion
- John Cook · age 20 · United States · Ohio State University
- Champion's title
- 1st U.S. Amateur
- Runner-up
- Scott Hoch · age 22
- Final
- 5 & 4
- Losing semifinalists
- Bobby Clampett and Michael Peck
- Defending champion
- John Fought · did not play (professional)
- Entries
- 3,035
What happened at the 1978 U.S. Amateur
Both semifinals went 20 holes, a first in Amateur history; Cook won with a birdie 3 at the 20th against Michael Peck, Hoch with a par 4 at the 20th against Bob Clampett.
Final: Cook shot 32 on the second nine (five birdies) to lead 5 up at lunch and closed out Hoch with a four-foot par putt at the 32nd hole.
Semifinal, John Cook v Michael Peck, won on 20th hole. Cook birdied the second extra hole, a long par 4
Semifinal, Scott Hoch v Bob Clampett, won on 20th hole. Hoch won with a par 4 at the 20th
Round of 64, Robert W. Burk v Vance Heafner, won on 25th hole. Burk beat Walker Cup player Heafner after seven extra holes
The draw
Every match is recorded through the round of 16; earlier rounds are partial (round of 32 (1 of 16 matches); round of 64 (complete); round of 128 (32 matches)).
The final, 1978 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Cook | def. | Scott Hoch | 5 & 4 |
Semifinals, 1978 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Hoch | def. | Bobby Clampett | won on 20th hole |
| John Cook | def. | Michael Peck | won on 20th hole |
Quarterfinals, 1978 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Clampett | def. | Steve Owen | 1 up |
| Scott Hoch | def. | Robert W. Burk | 1 up |
| John Cook | def. | Kalua Makalena | 5 & 3 |
| Michael Peck | def. | Griff Moody III | 3 & 2 |
Round of 16, 1978 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Griff Moody III | def. | Andrew Soley | 2 & 1 |
| Michael Peck | def. | Don Levin | 2 & 1 |
| John Cook | def. | Henri de Lozier | 5 & 3 |
| Kalua Makalena | def. | Doug Fischesser | won on 19th hole |
| Scott Hoch | def. | Robert Wrenn Jr. | 4 & 1 |
| Robert W. Burk | def. | Bob Kotz | 1 up |
| Bobby Clampett | def. | Rod Spittle | 6 & 4 |
| Steve Owen | def. | William Mooneyham | unknown |
Round of 32, 1978 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Wrenn Jr. | def. | Jay Sigel | 5 & 4 |
Round of 64, 1978 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Soley | def. | Fred Hansen | 3 & 1 |
| Jim Holtgrieve | def. | Peter Van Ingen | 1 up |
| Lee Davis | def. | Steve Fellinger | 2 up |
| Griff Moody III | def. | Mike Klein | 3 & 2 |
| Michael Peck | def. | Hal Sutton | 2 up |
| Martin West III | def. | Warren J. Choate | 4 & 2 |
| William Buttner | def. | Dale Morey | won on 20th hole |
| Don Levin | def. | Stephen Griggs | 1 up |
| Doug Clarke | def. | John Behl | 4 & 2 |
| John Cook | def. | Arthur Whaley | unknown |
| Thomas Carlton | def. | Cleve Coldwater | 6 & 5 |
| Henri de Lozier | def. | Tim Burns | 4 & 3 |
| James Dee | def. | Hillman Robbins III | 3 & 2 |
| Kalua Makalena | def. | Toby Chapin | 1 up |
| Doug Fischesser | def. | Jefferson Morgan | unknown |
| Enrique Muller | def. | Masahiro Kuramoto | 3 & 2 |
| Tom Pernice Jr. | def. | William Boles | 1 up |
| Scott Hoch | def. | Gene Gizzarelli | 7 & 5 |
| Robert Wrenn Jr. | def. | Terry Roberts | 3 & 1 |
| Jay Sigel | def. | Frank Fuhrer | 1 up |
| Bob Kotz | def. | Thomas Knox | 1 up |
| David Lane | def. | Wayne Player | 3 & 2 |
| Robert W. Burk | def. | Vance Heafner | won on 25th hole |
| Jeff Sanders | def. | Stuart Francis | 2 & 1 |
| Bobby Clampett | def. | Jim Johnson | 3 & 2 |
| John Jones | def. | Jeff Johnson | 1 up |
| Dan Croonquist | def. | Dave DeSantes | 1 up |
| Rod Spittle | def. | John Vazza | 1 up |
| Jim Ward | def. | Mark Balen | 3 & 2 |
| Steve Owen | def. | Mark O'Meara | won on 19th hole |
| Wayne DeFrancesco | def. | Lee Martinson | 6 & 5 |
| William Mooneyham | def. | Ted Nash | 2 up |
Round of 128, 1978 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Soley | def. | Doug Hanzel | 3 & 2 |
| Fred Hansen | def. | Todd Smith | 2 & 1 |
| Peter Van Ingen | def. | David Lee | 6 & 4 |
| Jim Holtgrieve | def. | Mickey Yokoi | 2 & 1 |
| Lee Davis | def. | Stephen Smith | 3 & 2 |
| Steve Fellinger | def. | Lynn Stone | 5 & 4 |
| Griff Moody III | def. | Bill Harvey | 6 & 5 |
| Mike Klein | def. | Don Hurler | 3 & 2 |
| Hal Sutton | def. | Tony Ciconte | 3 & 2 |
| Michael Peck | def. | John Ervasti | 5 & 3 |
| Warren J. Choate | def. | Bill Israelson | 2 & 1 |
| Martin West III | def. | Christopher Gutilla | 4 & 3 |
| William Buttner | def. | Anthony Cullinane | 1 up |
| Dale Morey | def. | Bob Tway | 1 up |
| Stephen Griggs | def. | Steve Hayles | 1 up |
| Don Levin | def. | Michael Burke | 3 & 2 |
| Doug Clarke | def. | Thomas Cleaver | 3 & 1 |
| John Behl | def. | E.T. Barry | 1 up |
| John Cook | def. | James Hart | 2 & 1 |
| Arthur Whaley | def. | Ralph Ghioto | 6 & 4 |
| Cleve Coldwater | def. | Vinny Giles | 2 & 1 |
| Thomas Carlton | def. | Richard Long | 1 up |
| Henri de Lozier | def. | Jon Chafee | 5 & 4 |
| Tim Burns | def. | Richard Haskell Jr. | 5 & 3 |
| James Dee | def. | Mitchell Camp | 6 & 5 |
| Hillman Robbins III | def. | Bruce Dobbs | 4 & 3 |
| Toby Chapin | def. | Gary Hallberg | 5 & 4 |
| Kalua Makalena | def. | Stephen Long | won on 20th hole |
| Jefferson Morgan | def. | George Haines Jr. | won on 20th hole |
| Doug Fischesser | def. | Joe Rassett | 2 & 1 |
| Enrique Muller | def. | Greg Doss | 4 & 3 |
| Masahiro Kuramoto | def. | Alton Duhon | 7 & 6 |
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.
Data: us-amateur.json.