Nathaniel Crosby was destined for the game from the start. His father, American entertainment legend and golf fanatic Bing Crosby, raised Nathaniel on the golf courses near their San Francisco Bay Area home, enlisting Masters and PGA Champion Jackie Burke, Jr. as Nathaniel’s godfather. The Crosbys even hired an Irish au pair, Bridget Brennan—who was herself a pro golfer—when Nathaniel was just a baby. The lessons began soon thereafter.
He would go on to win the 1981 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club, tee it up at the Masters three times, and captain the USA Walker Cup team in 2019 and 2021. But that’s getting a little ahead of ourselves.
Nathaniel came out of the gate strong, winning the club championship at Burlingame Country Club, the family’s club, when he was just 15. Between classes at Burlingame High School south of San Francisco (where he played on the golf team, naturally), he carried a briefcase—an unusual choice for a teenager, but this high schooler was also helping his famous father run the pairings and invitations for Bing’s massive, star-studded Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
While attending (and playing golf at) University of Miami, Nathaniel qualified for the 1981 U.S. Amateur in San Francisco. The talented 19-year-old arrived for his semifinal and final matches at the absolute last minute in his van. He says, “I was literally practicing at San Francisco Golf Club, warming up before I played my matches, showing up in my brown-and-orange Cheech and Chong Chevy Van ten minutes before tee time, hit a couple of putts. Let's go!” He staged a massive back-to-the-wall comeback, 4-down with 10 to play. The win made him the third-youngest U.S. Amateur champion of all time.
Another talented, young golfer found his way into the history books last year, too. Eighteen-year-old H&B Ambassador Mason Howell followed in Nathaniel’s footsteps by winning the U.S. Am at Olympic Club and then heading to Cypress Point for the Walker Cup. Nathaniel’s advice to Mason? “Don’t rest on your laurels. You know, I think, should help him in future competition because so many U.S. Amateurs have gone on to win professional major championships... It’s easier for somebody that has gotten that accomplishment at an early age to go on and succeed as a professional because of that.”
For Nathaniel, the game comes down to camaraderie. “It's stressful to play competitive golf. And I look back and I have some regrets, but to be honest with you, I really had fun playing golf with my buddies.”
We sat down with Nathaniel to talk shop.
