Colt Knost's pursuit of reinstated amateur status is on hold.
The former PGA Tour player, who now works as an on-course reporter for CBS Sports, shared a post to social media Tuesday that contained an email from the U.S. Golf Association regarding his application to be reinstated as an amateur golfer. Last October, Knost announced he was applying to get his amateur status back, a decision that fired up the masses.
"The USGA has recently decided to re-evaluate its reinstatement guidelines for applicants who, like you, have a successful history competing as a professional," the email said. "Questions regarding how the guidelines should apply in these
circumstances have contributed to earlier delays in reaching a decision on your application, and your application has now formally been placed on hold while staff works with the USGA Amateur Status Committee and Executive Committee to complete this work.
"I know this is not the definitive update you have been waiting for. As your primary USGA contact throughout the application process, I will keep you informed as this work progresses and will contact you when we are able to provide a further update. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me directly with any questions."
An update from the USGA on my amateur status. I’m sure this will make a lot of people happy! Haha pic.twitter.com/j3Py9zSZXq
— Colt Knost (@ColtKnost) September 1, 2026
Knost made 199 starts on the PGA Tour in his career, making 92 of 199 cuts and earning $4,330,438. The 2007 U.S. Amateur and U.S. Amateur Public Links winner announced on his podcast last year that he was trying to gain his amateur status back, a decision that came after outrage at the U.S. Mid-Amateur, where six of the eight quarterfinalists were former pro golfers.
Knost said he wanted to be reinstated as an amateur to one day be a Walker Cup captain, in addition to gaining access to some events he otherwise doesn't have now.
The USGA confirmed to Golfweek on Tuesday it was reviewing its amateur reinstatement guidelines: "As part of that process, (the USGA) has temporarily paused the processing of a select number of reinstatement applications. The review is focused on the role and purpose of reinstatement and waiting periods, including how those elements work together and their impact on the amateur game. We believe it is important to take a thoughtful look at the current framework before determining whether any changes are appropriate."
Knost is going to have to wait a bit longer to find out whether he's eligible for reinstatement. Regardless of what happens, there's bound to be discourse about it, which had already picked up with his post Tuesday morning.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Colt Knost’s amateur status bid put on hold as USGA reviews reinstatement rules
