The golf world has a formal pathway for professionals to step back and regain amateur status, and two-time PGA Tour winner Justin Hueber used that pathway, ticking off fans. The USGA’s rules note that amateur and professional golf are different. However, it also allows reinstatement after a waiting period. And it is the governing body that decides the length and approves the application.

Because of this pathway, many golfers compete against college athletes despite having the skills and experience of playing against professionals. Hueber is doing exactly that. An X user with the handle @MerionChuck discovered Hueber’s profile and expressed irritation on X.

“Horrendous. Battling with a bunch of ‘college guys,’ yet the guy has three PGA Tour-associated wins. STEP IN @USGA,” the X user wrote in a post.

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The post featured two images (both screenshots of his Instagram profile): Hueber’s bio and one of his posts. Hueber expressed excitement for the opportunity to play against college golfers in the caption of his Instagram post.

“The look after carrying my bag for 19 holes against a bunch of college kids the other day. Pumped for the opportunity to play my first @usga US Am in a few weeks at some place called Merion… not sure if it’s possible, but I might get a few more grey hairs. Thanks for the support, everyone. @nolayingup @sarahhueb.”

Hueber turned pro in 2009 after a college career at the University of Indianapolis. His PGA Tour profile lists him as a 38-year-old from Fayetteville, Arkansas. He has even earned $318,092 in official money on the Korn Ferry Tour and $100,973 on the PGA Tour of Latin America.

While his Instagram profile says he won three titles on the PGA Tour of Latin America, his PGA Tour profile lists only two wins: the 57 Abierto Mexicano de Golf 2015 and the 69 Avianca Colombia Open presentado por BBVA 2016.

The problem is that Hueber is not the only one in this circuit. Sports Illustrated reported in 2025 that seven of the eight Mid-Amateur quarterfinalists had played professionally before. In fact, both finalists, Brandon Holtz and Jeg Coughlin III, had played professionally.

The USGA has built this process to allow golfers to return to amateur status after a period away from professional golf. However, records, such as those from 2025, show a logical pattern. Those who have played professionally before have an edge over college amateurs with no such experience, creating an uneven field. That’s exactly why fans want the USGA to interfere. They are not only against Justin Hueber but also against this entire process.

Golf fans ask the USGA to intervene

Fans questioned the governing body’s definition of amateur status.

“The USGA has to sort out what being an ‘Amateur’ actually is!” one wrote.

Another said, “It should be pretty simple; if you’ve ever even PLAYED in a professional event (as a pro, not an am), then you should never be able to get amateur status back. Just my humble opinion lol, that’s how other sports are.”

These comments reflect the flexibility built into the USGA’s rules. Amateur status is not permanent. If a golfer plays in a professional event or meets other criteria set by the governing body, they lose their amateur status. On the other hand, the same body also lets professionals apply for reinstatement. While the USGA has full discretion to approve, the process itself blurs the distinction between amateur and professional competition.

Some fans even brought up the names of professionals to highlight how it can be unjust for college athletes. “@ColtKnost will be an amateur while he’s collecting payments from his PGA Tour pension/retirement program. In what world does that make sense? USGA needs to figure it out. Can’t penalize kids for life for turning pro at 21, but there HAS to be some sort of point of no return.”

Colt Knost is the perfect example to explain why the debate is justified. While he didn’t win an event, he has earned $4,330,438 in official money on the PGA Tour. Despite that, he applied for amateur status in October 2025 after 18 years as a professional. The USGA has said that he needs to serve a seven-year waiting period. Knost has not played professionally since 2020 and is expecting to be reinstated in 2027. The reason he gave was to captain a future U.S. Walker Cup team. Reflecting on the same, one fan joked that “At this rate, Jordan Spieth will end up playing in the 2028 US Amateur. Disgraceful from the @USGA here.”

Dan Rappaport also didn’t hold back.

“The USGA has totally lost control with the reinstated amateurs. I don’t blame the players for taking advantage of the rules, but 11 years as a pro, 2 wins on the Americas, 87 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, and the guy can wait 5 years and compete as an amateur? Come on.”

Because different rules govern the application-and-approval process, fans continue to debate the existence.