About the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship:

This tournament - whose name is sometimes abbreviated to "APL" or shortened to "Publinx" - was one of the championships staged annually by the United States Golf Association. It was played at different public golf courses each year, but was discontinued following the 2014 tournament.

The Amateur Public Links Championship was open to amateur golfers who were not members of a private club (in other words, public-course golfers), with a USGA Handicap Index of 4.4 or lower.

The Publinx was founded in 1922 because, at that time, the USGA only allowed golfers who belonged to USGA member clubs to enter the U.S. Amateur Championship.

U.S. Amateur Public Links official website

Format
At the time of its last playing, the format used a 156-person field filled through sectional qualifying tournaments. The field played two days of stroke play and was cut to the top 64. Those 64 golfers continued into match play, playing 18-hole matches. The championship match was 36 holes.

2014 APL
Byron Meth and Doug Ghim were all square through 32 holes of the championship match, then Ghim won the 33rd to go 1-up. They halved the next two holes, sending Ghim to the 36th with a 1-up lead. But Meth won that hole with a bogey to Ghim's double bogey, sending the match into extra holes. And on the first extra hole, Meth won it with another bogey.
U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship - Facts & Figures:
• Most Victories: Carl Kaufmann (1927, 1928, 1929)
• Oldest winner: Verne Callison, 48 (1967)
• Youngest winner: Les Bolstad, 18 (1926)

• Carl Kaufmann reached the championship match four consecutive years, 1926-29, and won the latter three times. Only three others have won consecutive titles: R.H. Sikes, 1961-62; Jodie Mudd, 1980-81; and Billy Tuten, 1982-83.
• The 1959 champion, Bill Wright, was the first African-American to win a USGA championship.
• Two golfers have won the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Amateur Public Links in the same year: Ryan Moore in 2004, and Colt Knost in 2007.
• Aside from Moore and Knost, Billy Mayfair is the only other golfer to win both USGA amateur championships. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1986 and the Publinx in 1987.
• The largest margin of victory in the championship match is 12-and-11. Jim Sorenson def. Jay Cooper by that lopsided score in 1985.
• In 2005, the 15-year-old Michelle Wie reached the quarterfinals of the men's Public Links.
• The U.S. Amateur Public Links was contested at stroke play from 1967-74.
• Beginning in 1989, The Masters awarded entry into its tournament to the winner of the U.S. Amateur Public Links.

Winners of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship:

2014 - Byron Meth def. Doug Ghim, 1-up (37 holes)
2013 - Jordan Niebrugge def. Michael Kim, 1-up
2012 - T.J. Vogel def. Kevin Aylwin, 12 and 10
2011 - Corbin Mills def. Derek Ernst, 1-up (37 holes)
2010 - Lion Kim def. David McDaniel, 6 and 5
2009 - Brad Benjamin def. Nick Taylor, 7 and 6
2008 - Jack Newman def. John Chin, 5 and 3
2007 - Colt Knost def. Cody Paladino, 6 and 4
2005 - Clay Ogden def. Martin Ureta, 1-up
2006 - Casey Watabu def. Anthony Kim, 4 and 3
2005 - Clay Ogden def. Martin Ureta, 1-up
2004 - Ryan Moore def. Dayton Rose, 6 and 5
2003 - Brandt Snedeker def. Dayton Rose, 10 and 9
2002 - Ryan Moore def. Lee Williamson, 10 and 9
2001 - Chez Reavie def. Danny Green, 2-up (38 holes)
2000 - D.J. Trahan def. Bubba Dickerson, 1-up (37 holes)
1999 - Hunter Haas def. Michael Kirk, 4 and 3
1998 - Trevor Immelman def. Jason Dufner, 3 and 2
1997 - Tim Clark def. Ryuji Imada, 7 and 6
1996 - Tim Hogarth def. Jeff Thomas, 8 and 7
1995 - Chris Wollmann def. Bill Camping, 4 and 3
1994 - Guy Yamamoto def. Chris Riley, 1-up (37 holes)
1993 - David Berganio Jr. def. Brandon Knight, 2 and 1
1992 - Warren Schutte def. Richard Mayo Jr., 3 and 2
1991 - David Berganio Jr. def. Michael Combs, 3 and 2
1990 - Michael Combs def. Terrence Miskell, 4 and 3
1989 - Tim Hobby def. Henry Cagigal, 4 and 3
1988 - Ralph Howe III def. Kevin Johnson, 1-up (37 holes)
1987 - Kevin Johnson def. Jimmy England, 10 and 9
1986 - Bill Mayfair def. Jim Sorenson, 3 and 2
1985 - Jim Sorenson def. Jay Cooper, 12 and 11
1984 - Bill Malley def. Dirk Jones, 2 and 1
1983 - Billy Tuten def. David Hobby, 3 and 1
1982 - Billy Tuten def. Brad Heninger, 6 and 5
1981 - Jodie Mudd def. Billy Tuten, 3 and 2
1980 - Jodie Mudd def. Rick Gordon, 9 and 8
1979 - Dennis Walsh def. Eric Mork, 4 and 3
1978 - Dean Prince def. Tony Figueredo, 5 and 3
1977 - Jerry Vidovic def. Jeff Kern, 4 and 2
1976 - Eddie Mudd def. Archie Dadian, 1-up (37 holes)
1975 - Randyn Barenaba def. Alan Yamamoto, 1-up (37 holes)
1974 - Charles Barenaba Jr., 290
1973 - Stan Stopa, 294
1972 - Bob Allard, 285 (def. Rick Schultz, 71-74 in playoff)
1971 - Fred Haney, 290
1970 - Robert Risch, 293
1969 - John M. Jackson Jr., 292
1968 - Gene Towry, 292
1967 - Verne Callison, 287
1966 - Lamont Kaser def. Dave Ojala, 6 and 5
1965 - Arne Dokka def. Leo Zampedro, 10 and 9
1964 - William McDonald def. Dean Wilson Jr., 5 and 3
1963 - Robert Lunn def. Stephen Oppermann, 1-up
1962 - R.H. Sikes def. Hung Soo Ahn, 2 and 1
1961 - R,H. Sikes def. John Molenda, 4 and 3
1960 - Verne Callison def. Tyler Caplin, 7 and 6
1959 - William A. Wright def. Frank W. Campbell, 3 and 2
1958 - Dan Sikes Jr. def. Bob Ludlow, 3 and 2
1957 - Don Essig III def. Gene Towry, 6 and 5
1956 - James Buxbaum def. W.C. Scarbrough Jr., 3 and 2
1955 - Sam Kocsis def. Lewis Bean, 2-up
1954 - Gene Andrews def. Jack Zimmerman, 1-up
1953 - Ted Richards Jr. def. Irving Cooper, 1-up
1952 - Omer L. Bogan def. Robert Scherer, 4 and 3
1951 - Dave Stanley def. Ralph Vranesic, 1-up (38 holes)
1950 - Stanley Bielat def. John Dobro, 7 and 5
1949 - Ken Towns def. William Betger, 5 and 4
1948 - Michael Ferentz def. Ben Hughes, 2 and 1
1947 - Wilfred Crossley def. Avery Beck, 6 and 5
1946 - Smiley L. Quick def. Louis Stafford, 3 and 2
1942-45 - Not played
1941 - William Welch Jr. def. Jack Kerns, 6 and 5
1940 - Robert Clark d. Michael Dietz, 8 and 6
1939 - Andrew Szwedko def. Phillip Gordon, 1-up
1938 - Al Leach def. Louis Cyr, 1-up
1937 - Bruce McCormick def. Don Erickson, 1-up
1936 - B. Patrick Abbott def. Claude Rippy, 4 and 3
1935 - Frank Strafaci def. Joe Coria, 1-up (37 holes)
1934 - David Mitchell def. Arthur Armstrong, 5 and 3
1933 - Charles Ferrera def. R.L. Miller, 3 and 2
1932 - R.L. Miller def. Pete Miller, 4 and 2
1931 - Charles Ferrera def. Joe Nichols, 5 and 4
1930 - Robert Wingate def. Joe Greene, 1 up
1929 - Carl Kauffmann def. Milton Soncrant, 4 and 3
1928 - Carl Kauffmann def. Phil Ogden, 8 and 7
1927 - Carl Kauffmann def. William F. Serrick, 1-up (37 holes)
1926 - Lester Bolstad def. Carl Kauffmann, 3 and 2
1925 - Ray McAuliffe def. William F. Serrick, 6 and 5
1924 - Joseph Coble def. Henry Decker, 2 and 1
1923 - Richard Walsh def. J. Stewart Whitham, 6 and 5
1922 - Eddie Held def. Richard Walsh, 6 and 5