The qualification process to determine the majority of the field for the 2014 U.S. Amateur, which will be hosted by the Atlanta Athletic Club, will be from July 7-22 at 97 different sites around the country.

In Georgia, the 36-hole qualifiers for the U.S. Amateur will be July 15-16 at the Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta and July 21-22 at Reynolds Plantation – Great Waters in Eatonton.

Among the top contenders at the Piedmont Driving Club site are Georgia Tech senior Anders Albertson of Woodstock, two-time Georgia Amateur winner David Noll Jr. of Dalton, 2013 high school champion Jonathan Keppler of Kennesaw, and 2014 high school champion Jack Larkin Jr. of Atlanta’s Marist School.

Among the top contenders at the Reynolds Plantation site are recent Georgia Tech graduate Bo Andrews, 2013 Georgia Amateur champion Jimmy Beck of Columbus, University of Georgia junior Mookie DeMoss, and 2013 Georgia Mid-Amateur champion Cameron Hooper of Atlanta.

While most of the 312-man field will be determined through qualifiers, there are several players who are guaranteed a place in the championship, if they remain an amateur at the time of the Championship.

Ollie Schniederjans, a native of Powder Springs, Ga., and rising senior at Georgia Tech, has earned an exception into the U.S. Amateur Championship by virtue of being No. 1 in the Men’s World Amateur Golf Ranking.

The top 50 players in the Amateur World Golf Ranking as of June 25 are exempt from qualifying for the 2014 U.S. Amateur Championship. The international field includes exempt players from 19 different countries.

Other top players who are exempt include:
• Scottie Scheffler, the reigning U.S Junior Amateur champion who has signed with the University of Texas;
• Robby Shelton, a rising sophomore at the University of Alabama who won the Phil Mickelson Award for being the nation’s best freshman;
• Jordan Niebrugge, a rising junior at Oklahoma State who won the 2013 U.S. Public Links Championship.
• Seth Reeves of Duluth, who recently finished his senior season at Georgia Tech, is also exempt for the championship.

The top 50 players who are exempt are:

1. Ollie Schniederjans, United States
2. Scottie Scheffler, United States
3. Robby Shelton, United States
4. Chang-woo Lee, Korea
5. Jordan Niebrugge, United States
6. Guilermo Pereira, Chile
7. Bradley Neil, Scotland
8. Renato Paratore, Italy
9. Gavin Kyle Green, United States
10. Bryson Dechambeau, United States
11. Mario Galiano Aguilar, Spain
12. Thomas Detry, Belgium
13. Marcus Kinhult, Sweden
14. Gavin Moynihan, Ireland
15. Ryan Evans, England
16. Scott Vincent, Zimbabwe
17. Adam Svensson, Canada
18. Brandon Hagy, United States
19. Lucas Herbert, Australia
20. Grant Forrest, Scotland
21. Stewart Jolly, United States
22. Roman Robledo, United States
23. Brian Campbell, United States
24. Taylor James MacDonald, Australia
25. Jack Maguire, United States
26. Seth Reeves, United States
27. Taylor Pendrith, Canada
28. Ryan Ruffels, Australia
29. Austin Connelly, United States
30. Denny McCarthy, United States
31. Paul Howard, England
32. Julien Brun, France
33. Zander Lombard, South Africa
34. Xander Schauffele, United States
35. Trey Mullinax, United States
36. Corey Conners, Canada
37. Jon Rahm-Rodriguez, Spain
38. Dou Zecheng, China
39. Emilio Cuartero Blanco, Spain
40. Jarryd Felton, Australia
41. Jimmy Mullen, England
42. Kyle Jones, United States
43. Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Africa
44. Cheng-sung Pan, Chinese Taipei
45. Toby Tree, England
46. Dominic Foos, Germany
47. Ashley Chesters, England
48. Jorge Garcia, Venezuela
49. Jordan Smith, England
50. Todd Sinnott, Australia

The U.S. Amateur Championship, conducted by the United States Golf Association, is the oldest golf championship in the country. This will be the 114th competition of the event, which began in 1895.

The theme “Remember the Legacy and Grow the Game,” encompasses the Atlanta Athletic Club’s goals and attitudes about the Amateur Championship. The club desires to draw upon its association with golfing greats like Bobby Jones, who served as president of the Atlanta Athletic Club and was an active member until his death in 1971. The 2014 Amateur Championship will mark the 90th anniversary of the first of five U.S. Amateur Championships won by Jones

The Athletic Club has a legacy of hosting major championships. Since moving to its current location in North Fulton County, the club has hosted the:
● 2011 PGA Championship
● 2002 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship
● 2001 PGA Championship
● 1990 U.S. Women’s Open
● 1984 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship
● 1982 Junior World Cup
● 1981 PGA Championship
● 1976 U.S. Open Championship