2005 U.S. Amateur: Edoardo Molinari wins at Merion Golf Club (East Course)
Edoardo Molinari won the 2005 U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club (East Course) in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, beating Dillon Dougherty 4 & 3 in the final.
Updated October 21, 2026
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- Edition
- 105th
- Dates
- August 22, 2005 to August 28, 2005
- Course
- Merion Golf Club (East Course), Ardmore, Pennsylvania
- Stroke-play co-host
- Philadelphia Country Club, Gladwyne, Pa.
- Format
- stroke-play qualifying (36 holes) + match play
- Champion
- Edoardo Molinari · age 24 · Italy · Politecnico di Torino
- Champion's title
- 1st U.S. Amateur
- Runner-up
- Dillon Dougherty · age 22
- Final
- 4 & 3
- Losing semifinalists
- J.C. Deacon and Austin Eaton III
- Stroke-play medalist
- James Lepp (135)
- Defending champion
- Ryan Moore · did not play (not in USGA stroke-play results)
- Entries
- 7,320
- What winning earned
- U.S. Open exemption (2006); Masters invitation (2006); The Open spot (2006); all if still amateur
What happened at the 2005 U.S. Amateur
Stroke play: Molinari holed out from a greenside bunker on his final qualifying hole to join a 19-for-17 playoff, which he survived with two pars.
Final: 3 down at the lunch break, Molinari holed four putts of 25 feet or more in the afternoon, closing with a 30-foot birdie on the 33rd hole to win 4 and 3 - the first Italian champion.
The draw
Every match is recorded through the round of 64.
The final, 2005 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edoardo Molinari | def. | Dillon Dougherty | 4 & 3 |
Semifinals, 2005 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon Dougherty | def. | J.C. Deacon | 1 up |
| Edoardo Molinari | def. | Austin Eaton III | 2 & 1 |
Quarterfinals, 2005 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon Dougherty | def. | Ryan Yip | 4 & 2 |
| J.C. Deacon | def. | Mark Leon | 2 & 1 |
| Edoardo Molinari | def. | Dawie Van Der Walt | 6 & 4 |
| Austin Eaton III | def. | Anthony Kim | 4 & 2 |
Round of 16, 2005 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon Dougherty | def. | Dane Burkhart | 2 & 1 |
| Ryan Yip | def. | Brian Harman | 1 up |
| Mark Leon | def. | Kevin Chappell | 1 up |
| J.C. Deacon | def. | George Zahringer | 1 up |
| Dawie Van Der Walt | def. | Korey Mahoney | 5 & 4 |
| Edoardo Molinari | def. | Matthew Swan | 3 & 2 |
| Anthony Kim | def. | Jay Choi | won on 19th hole |
| Austin Eaton III | def. | Rhys Davies | 1 up |
Round of 32, 2005 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dane Burkhart | def. | James Lepp | 2 & 1 |
| Dillon Dougherty | def. | Gary Wolstenholme | 4 & 2 |
| Ryan Yip | def. | Brett Stegmaier | 2 up |
| Brian Harman | def. | David Denham | 6 & 5 |
| Mark Leon | def. | Billy Hurley | 1 up |
| Kevin Chappell | def. | David Lutterus | 4 & 2 |
| George Zahringer | def. | Oliver Fisher | 5 & 4 |
| J.C. Deacon | def. | Nathan Smith | 3 & 2 |
| Korey Mahoney | def. | Brad Tilley | 2 up |
| Dawie Van Der Walt | def. | Nicholas Thompson | 1 up |
| Matthew Swan | def. | Michael Sim | won on 19th hole |
| Edoardo Molinari | def. | Matthew Every | won on 19th hole |
| Jay Choi | def. | Ryan Blaum | 4 & 3 |
| Anthony Kim | def. | Webb Simpson | 4 & 2 |
| Austin Eaton III | def. | Seung-Su Han | 3 & 1 |
| Rhys Davies | def. | Arnond Vongvanij | 4 & 2 |
Round of 64, 2005 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Lepp | def. | Kyle Reifers | won on 19th hole |
| Dane Burkhart | def. | J. B. Holmes | 1 up |
| Dillon Dougherty | def. | Alex Knoll | 5 & 3 |
| Gary Wolstenholme | def. | Shawn Jasper | 1 up |
| Ryan Yip | def. | Kevin Fortin Simard | 1 up |
| Brett Stegmaier | def. | Brian Carroll | 6 & 5 |
| Brian Harman | def. | Ben Kishigian | won on 22nd hole |
| David Denham | def. | Matt Savage | 2 & 1 |
| Billy Hurley | def. | Charlie Beljan | 5 & 4 |
| Mark Leon | def. | Robert Riesen | 3 & 2 |
| Kevin Chappell | def. | Sihwan Kim | 1 up |
| David Lutterus | def. | Eddie Olson | 3 & 2 |
| Oliver Fisher | def. | Lee Williams | 5 & 3 |
| George Zahringer | def. | Chandler Cocco | won on 19th hole |
| J.C. Deacon | def. | Andrew Parr | 2 & 1 |
| Nathan Smith | def. | Ron Harvey Jr. | 2 & 1 |
| Korey Mahoney | def. | Carter Henderson | 5 & 4 |
| Brad Tilley | def. | Jon-Michael Socaris | won on 19th hole |
| Dawie Van Der Walt | def. | Nate Lashley | 1 up |
| Nicholas Thompson | def. | Dustin Pimm | 4 & 3 |
| Matthew Swan | def. | Joseph Sykora | 2 up |
| Michael Sim | def. | Mark Strickland | 2 & 1 |
| Edoardo Molinari | def. | Emilio Dominguez | won on 20th hole |
| Matthew Every | def. | George Bryan IV | 4 & 3 |
| Jay Choi | def. | Morgan Hoffmann | 1 up |
| Ryan Blaum | def. | Tanner Ervin | 1 up |
| Anthony Kim | def. | Jeremy Frye | 4 & 3 |
| Webb Simpson | def. | Jordan Payne | 5 & 3 |
| Austin Eaton III | def. | Pablo Martin | 2 & 1 |
| Seung-Su Han | def. | Mitch Boles | 4 & 2 |
| Arnond Vongvanij | def. | Tyler Hitchcock | won on 19th hole |
| Rhys Davies | def. | Todd Mitchell | 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.
Data: us-amateur.json.