1997 U.S. Amateur: Matt Kuchar wins at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club (No. 4 Course)
Matt Kuchar won the 1997 U.S. Amateur at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club (No. 4 Course) in Lemont, Illinois, beating Joel Kribel 2 & 1 in the final.
Updated October 22, 2026
Walk this draw in the U.S. Amateur room.
- Edition
- 97th
- Dates
- August 18, 1997 to August 24, 1997
- Course
- Cog Hill Golf & Country Club (No. 4 Course), Lemont, Illinois
- Stroke-play co-host
- Cog Hill Golf & Country Club (No. 2 Course), Lemont, Illinois
- Format
- stroke-play qualifying (36 holes) + match play
- Champion
- Matt Kuchar · age 19 · United States · Georgia Institute of Technology
- Champion's title
- 1st U.S. Amateur
- Runner-up
- Joel Kribel · age 20
- Final
- 2 & 1
- Losing semifinalists
- Brad Elder and Randy Leen
- Stroke-play medalist
- Roger Tambellini (136)
- Defending champion
- Tiger Woods · did not play (professional)
- Entries
- 6,666
- What winning earned
- U.S. Open exemption; The Open exemption
What happened at the 1997 U.S. Amateur
Final: Kuchar won three straight holes in the afternoon to go 7 up with 10 to play; Kribel won five of the next seven before Kuchar closed with a par on the 35th, 2 & 1.
Barclay Howard, low amateur at the 1997 Open, disqualified himself after an apparent qualifying 141 for breaching the one-ball rule at his 36th hole.
The draw
Every match is recorded through the round of 64.
The final, 1997 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Kuchar | def. | Joel Kribel | 2 & 1 |
Semifinals, 1997 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Kribel | def. | Brad Elder | 3 & 1 |
| Matt Kuchar | def. | Randy Leen | 6 & 5 |
Quarterfinals, 1997 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Kribel | def. | Jace Bugg | 6 & 5 |
| Brad Elder | def. | Michael Boyd | 3 & 1 |
| Randy Leen | def. | Ryuji Imada | 5 & 3 |
| Matt Kuchar | def. | Robert Gerwin II | 4 & 2 |
Round of 16, 1997 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jace Bugg | def. | Terry O'Laughlin | 2 & 1 |
| Joel Kribel | def. | Edward Loar | 7 & 6 |
| Michael Boyd | def. | Charles Warren | 5 & 4 |
| Brad Elder | def. | Boyd Summerhays | 2 & 1 |
| Randy Leen | def. | Aaron Oberholser | 3 & 1 |
| Ryuji Imada | def. | Robert Floyd | 3 & 1 |
| Robert Gerwin II | def. | Jason Allred | 1 up |
| Matt Kuchar | def. | John Rollins | 1 up |
Round of 32, 1997 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry O'Laughlin | def. | Chris Nickens | 5 & 3 |
| Jace Bugg | def. | Walker Taylor | 2 & 1 |
| Joel Kribel | def. | Ian Kennedy | won on 19th hole |
| Edward Loar | def. | Gene Elliott | 6 & 4 |
| Charles Warren | def. | David Miller | 2 & 1 |
| Michael Boyd | def. | Greg Rohlf | won on 19th hole |
| Boyd Summerhays | def. | D.A. Points | 2 & 1 |
| Brad Elder | def. | Jin Park | 4 & 3 |
| Randy Leen | def. | Don Padgett III | 4 & 2 |
| Aaron Oberholser | def. | J.J. Henry | won on 19th hole |
| Robert Floyd | def. | Tommy Biershenk Jr. | 2 up |
| Ryuji Imada | def. | Tim Hogarth | 5 & 3 |
| Robert Gerwin II | def. | Jason Gore | 2 & 1 |
| Jason Allred | def. | Boomer Erick | 4 & 3 |
| John Rollins | def. | Kevin Quinn | 4 & 2 |
| Matt Kuchar | def. | James Myoung | 1 up |
Round of 64, 1997 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry O'Laughlin | def. | Roger Tambellini | 3 & 2 |
| Chris Nickens | def. | Matthew Chubb | 2 & 1 |
| Jace Bugg | def. | Chad Wright | 5 & 3 |
| Walker Taylor | def. | Jeremy Langley | 5 & 4 |
| Joel Kribel | def. | Jason Semelsberger | 5 & 3 |
| Ian Kennedy | def. | Randy Nichols | 1 up |
| Gene Elliott | def. | Trevor Immelman | 6 & 4 |
| Edward Loar | def. | Chuck Barclift | 1 up |
| David Miller | def. | Jerry Courville Jr. | 1 up |
| Charles Warren | def. | Gilberto Morales | 3 & 1 |
| Greg Rohlf | def. | Todd Rose | 2 & 1 |
| Michael Boyd | def. | John "Spider" Miller | 1 up |
| Boyd Summerhays | def. | Scott Mendelsohn | 4 & 3 |
| D.A. Points | def. | Charlie Woerner | 1 up |
| Brad Elder | def. | Michael Ketcham | 6 & 4 |
| Jin Park | def. | Christopher Stone | 2 & 1 |
| Don Padgett III | def. | Billy Varn | 1 up |
| Randy Leen | def. | Scott Weatherly | 2 & 1 |
| J.J. Henry | def. | Tom McKnight | 2 up |
| Aaron Oberholser | def. | Mitch Voges | 2 up |
| Tommy Biershenk Jr. | def. | Tim Clark | won on 19th hole |
| Robert Floyd | def. | Whit Staples | 2 & 1 |
| Tim Hogarth | def. | Jason Piurkoski | 2 & 1 |
| Ryuji Imada | def. | Gregory Boyette | 2 & 1 |
| Robert Gerwin II | def. | Bryce Molder | won on 20th hole |
| Jason Gore | def. | Albert Ochoa | 3 & 2 |
| Boomer Erick | def. | Michael Miller | 3 & 2 |
| Jason Allred | def. | Buddy Marucci | 4 & 3 |
| Kevin Quinn | def. | Fred Dupre | 2 & 1 |
| John Rollins | def. | Larry Seligmann | 2 up |
| James Myoung | def. | Michael Connell | 3 & 1 |
| Matt Kuchar | def. | Alan Zimmerman | 2 & 1 |
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.