The controversy surrounding the ex-PGA Tour stars trying to get their amateur status continues. This time, it’s a retired pro who had hung up his clubs years ago. Only a few weeks ago, 7 of the 8 U.S. Mid-Am quarterfinalists were former PGA Tour pros who regained their amateur status. Since then, the golf community has been on edge. Despite this heated debate surrounding the topic, Colt Knost recently decided to announce that he wants to become an amateur golfer again, and a USGA Officer has shared his thoughts about it.

After Knost’s big revelation, he received a lot of backlash from the community. That forced the USGA Chief Governance Officer, Thomas Pagel, to step in and clear the air on the situation.

“There are certainly people who take the view that once you’ve turned professional, you have had some level of success, and how you define success again, it’s a bit subjective, should never be allowed back. Our rules allow for that. Certainly, if somebody has ripped off a bunch of wins on the PGA Tour or they have played on these cup teams, they’re probably never getting their amateur status back.”

Pagel clarified that the USGA has channels for pros to find their way back to amateur golf. However, he also confirmed that PGA Tour players who have grabbed a few title wins might find it impossible to regain their status, considering how the system is set up. However, that’s not the case for some who have never won a title.

“Just because they were a card-carrying member of a Tour, we think that there is a home for them back in Amateur Golf. But the key for us is how you define that waiting period. So it truly is a bit of a cooling-off period. And that you’re not just unleashing those players straight back into the amateur game. There’s some sacrifice they make in waiting to get back into the amateur game, and we think that’s appropriate.”

As Pagel expressed, the USGA expects the pros to hold off their ambitions on the fairway for a short waiting period. If they can remain patient and not play professionally during the waiting period, they will receive their amateur status. He believes that’s a small sacrifice they can make to help them adjust to the atmosphere of Amateur golf after serving as a professional golfer in the past.

The request is understandable, given the experience professional golfers bring when returning to amateur competition. However, most of them don’t usually transition from pro to amateur immediately. It usually isn’t a hassle as they take a break from the sport before returning to the Mid-Am level. That is exactly what Colt Knost is trying to do as well, with one clear goal in his mind.

Can Colt Knost regain his Amateur Status?

Colt Knost enjoyed quite an exhilarating career on the PGA Tour when he played actively. Even though he didn’t win a title, he did compete in 199 events and made the cut 92 times. The 40-year-old also had four third-place finishes and nine top 10s.

However, he hasn’t played a professional golf tournament since February 2020. In fact, Knost is mostly known for being a CBS analyst now than a former professional golfer. So what is making him want to regain his amateur status?

During his interview with SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, he revealed that he only had one reason to become an official amateur golfer again. Colt Knost spoke about his love for the Walker Cup and how he loved the opportunity to play it in 2007. Now that he is 40 years old, he is at the age where he can possibly be a choice for a captain for Team U.S. in the prestigious event.

Knost wanted to retain his status as an amateur golfer again to give himself the best shot at getting that opportunity. Otherwise, as he explained, he is too busy covering events with CBS Sports to participate in tournaments as an amateur player.