2025 Southern Amateur Championship at Blessings Golf Club: Preview and Live Coverage
Welcome to AmateurGolf.com’s comprehensive hub for the 119th Southern Amateur Championship, held July 16–19, 2025 at the renowned Blessings Golf Club in Johnson, Arkansas. This page offers daily leaderboard updates, field insights, venue analysis, and rich championship history—everything serious amateur golf fans need in one place.
Stay tuned for round-by-round highlights and leaderboard updates as the South’s premier amateur event unfolds.
2025 Venue Preview: The Challenge of Blessings Golf Club
The Blessings Golf Club makes its Southern Amateur debut this year, and it’s a formidable stage. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Blessings is renowned for dramatic elevation changes, sprawling bunkers, tight landing zones, and lightning-fast, undulating greens. Players must navigate blind shots, forced carries, and a routing that demands discipline. The course is designed to test the full spectrum of a player’s game—and it’s notorious for punishing mental mistakes.
Situated in the Ozarks near Fayetteville, Arkansas, Blessings has hosted NCAA Championships, with its exacting layout exposing even elite collegiate fields. Expect winning scores here to reward strategic plotting over raw aggression.
About the Southern Amateur Championship
First played in 1902 at Nashville Golf & Country Club, the Southern Amateur is among the oldest and most prestigious amateur tournaments in the world. Originally contested at match play before switching to stroke play in 1964, its roll call of champions is a who’s who of the game: Bobby Jones (1917, 1920, 1922), Lanny Wadkins, Ben Crenshaw, Hubert Green, Justin Leonard, and Webb Simpson have all lifted the George W. Adair Trophy.
Managed by the Southern Golf Association—serving nearly 500 member clubs across 14 states—the Southern Amateur has weathered world wars and changing eras while maintaining its status as a proving ground for future PGA Tour stars.
Flashback: Wenyi Ding’s Historic 2024 Victory
Last year at Idle Hour Country Club in Lexington, Kentucky, Wenyi Ding of China delivered a record-setting performance. With rounds of 66-69-63-64, he finished at 18-under 262, becoming the first Chinese player—and just the fourth international player—to claim the title. Ding praised the championship’s atmosphere and hospitality, calling it “a really good experience” while adding to an already stellar amateur résumé that includes the U.S. Junior Amateur and record-setting collegiate wins with Arizona State.
Rounding out last year’s top five: Quinnton Croker of Australia (-15), Lance Simpson (-14), and Connor Jones and Parker Bell (both -13). The final round average was a remarkable 68.89, with 33 players breaking par and a field rich in eagles and birdies.
2025 Championship DetailsLocation: Blessings Golf Club, Johnson, ARDates: July 16–19, 2025Format: 72-hole stroke play with a 36-hole cutEntry: $395 (Exempt), $215 (Sectional Qualifier), $235 (On-Site Qualifier)Field Size: ~156 playersPlayer Field and International Flavor
The 2025 roster includes amateurs from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, China, France, Mexico, Morocco, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland, and Japan—highlighting the championship’s global draw. Among U.S. entries are decorated collegiate players, state amateur champions, and rising junior stars. The diversity of playing styles and backgrounds promises a compelling battle, with many hoping to join the championship’s storied alumni.
Check back daily for updated scores and round recaps as competition intensifies.
Plan Your Coverage with AmateurGolf.com
As this championship unfolds, we’ll bring daily updates, interviews, and analysis of the field. Bookmark this hub, follow the leaderboard, and join us in celebrating the traditions—and the future—of elite amateur golf.
ABOUT THE
Southern Amateur
The Southern Amateur, which dates back to 1902, is
one of two competitions held by the Southern Golf
Association (the other is the Southern Junior). This
is a 72-hole stroke play championship with a cut
made after 36 holes. Entries are open to any male
amateur golfer who has a current USGA Handicap
Index® not exceeding 3.4 under the USGA Handicap
System. Non-exempt players must pre-qualify at
one of the qualifying sites held across the southern
U.S. in the two months leading up to the
championship.
View Complete Tournament Information
