The US Amateur can be a great indicator for who is going to be the next big thing in golf.
Tiger Woods famously dominated the amateur game in the ‘90s, winning the US Amateur three years in a row between ’94 and ‘96.
And in recent seasons, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, and Bryson DeChambeau have all gone on to have long and successful careers in professional golf after winning the amateur title.
But it doesn’t work out for everyone. Take Byeong Hun An, for example. He became the youngest-ever US Amateur champion in 2009, but never won on the PGA Tour. And An has just signed with LIV Golf after failing to fulfill his potential in the pros.
The same can be said for the 1999 US Amateur champion, who lost his fully exempt status just five years later. But during the 2000 season, he had a front seat to history, unlike nearly any other player who has ever played the game.
The player who witnessed golfing history in 2000
David Gossett’s golfing career might have peaked before he turned professional, but what he witnessed first-hand at the majors in 2000 has gone down in folklore.
By winning the U.S. Amateur, Gossett earned a spot in the 2000 Masters, U.S. Open, and Open Championship, and it was an unbelievable journey for the young American.
At The Masters, he was paired with defending champion José María Olazábal for his first opening rounds. He won low-amateur honors and played his final round with the great Jack Nicklaus.
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Who should be next?
In June, Gossett played the US Open at the legendary Pebble Beach, where Woods won by a record 15 shots. Gossett again played alongside Nicklaus, in what proved to be his final US Open. Gossett witnessed Nicklaus tearfully bidding farewell to his national championship.
Another major came at another iconic course, as Gossett played the 2000 Open Championship at St. Andrews. He played with defending champion Paul Laurie and Woods, who was in the middle of making history.
Woods won by eight shots, bringing him halfway to accomplishing the Tiger Slam, which he would complete in 2001 at The Masters. In just one season, Gossett has seen more history than most players would in a lifetime.
What happened to David Gossett when he turned professional
Gossett witnessed one of the greatest ever golfing seasons firsthand before turning professional, which he did after the 2000 Open Championship. However, he didn’t make the cut for the rest of that season and faced the gauntlet of Q-School in an attempt to win his tour card.
He shot a 59 in Q-School that year, but he didn’t earn his card. But he was granted a sponsor’s exemption for the John Deere Classic.
The John Deere Classic is typically an opportunity for golf’s young upcoming stars to make a name for themselves, with the major names in the sport sitting out the event as it falls right around The Open. And Gossett did exactly that.
Which four players do you choose?
He beat Briny Baird by one stroke to win the event, earning half a million dollars and a full exemption for PGA Tour events. But that didn’t last long, as he lost his tour status in 2004, and spent the next decade playing on the tour on-and-off.
In the early 2010s, he attempted to regain his full-tour status. He qualified for the 2014 US Open, his first since the historic 2000 season, but he wasn’t able to make the cut. He then missed the cut again at the John Deere Classic and the Barracuda Championship.
By 2015, he’d called it quits on his professional golfing career.
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