The question nobody is asking about the 'reinstated amateur' debate

If you missed it, last week's Golf Debate du jour revolved around former professional golfers looking to regain their amateur status. Mainly, the focus was on Colt Knost, whose bid for reinstatement into the amateur ranks was denied by the USGA, which said it was re-evaluating its reinstatement guidelines.

This was cause for celebration for a select group of folks on social media who have essentially said that enough is enough when it comes to former pros trying to be amateurs again. Knost, understandably, defended his position on X/Twitter, and people came for him. 

In a hilarious twist of fate, just two days later, Mike Sposa, who made over 170 starts on the PGA Tour and won on the Korn Ferry Tour in 1998, won the U.S. Senior Amateur at Baltimore Country Club. 

Then came the case of Stuart Grehan, who spent seven years as a professional before regaining his amateur status in April of 2025. He was a key player for the Great Britain & Ireland side in the Walker Cup this past weekend, winning both of his singles matches over Preston Stout, the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world.  

Should there be some sort of threshold of events played, money made, or years spent as a professional that does not allow you to become an amateur again? Should you never be allowed to go back once you've gone pro? Should you be allowed to captain a Walker Cup team even if you've gone pro? These are all fair questions the USGA is likely asking itself during the re-evaluation process. 

But there is another question nobody is asking in this whole debate, one we brought up on this week's episode of The Loop podcast. Find out which below in our full episode, which also features an interview with U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur winner Ivy Shepherd, who has a fascinating story of overcoming the driver yips to find her way into the winner's circle: