Eisspeedway

Buddy Allin

Buddy Allin
Personal information
Full nameBrian Thomas Allin
NicknameBud, Buddy
Born(1944-10-13)October 13, 1944
Bremerton, Washington
DiedMarch 10, 2007(2007-03-10) (aged 62)
Hemet, California
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight134 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st)
Sporting nationality United States
Career
CollegeBrigham Young University
Turned professional1969
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins9
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour5
PGA Tour of Australasia1
PGA Tour Champions1
Other2
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT15: 1974
PGA ChampionshipT10: 1975
U.S. OpenT10: 1974
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Brian Thomas ("Bud" or "Buddy") Allin (October 13, 1944 – March 10, 2007) was an American professional golfer who won five PGA Tour events in the 1970s.

Early life

Allin was born in Bremerton, Washington. He learned to play golf at age 13 while working as a caddie at the Santa Barbara Municipal Golf Course in Santa Barbara, California.

Amateur career

A prodigal player, Allin attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and was a member on the golf team along with Johnny Miller. He served in the Army as an artillery officer during the Vietnam War earning four decorations including the Bronze Star and an Air medal.[1]

Professional career

In 1969, Allin turned pro and qualified for the PGA Tour on his first attempt citing the fact that golf was no "big deal" compared to war.

Allin's first win on the PGA Tour came in 1971 at the Greater Greensboro Open when he defeated Dave Eichelberger and Rod Funseth on the first extra-hole in a playoff. He would win five times in five years between 1971 and 1976. His best season was in 1974 when he won the Doral Ryder Open and the Byron Nelson Classic, which propelled him to a ninth-place finish on the money list. His best finish in a major was a T-10 at the 1974 U.S. Open and the 1975 PGA Championship. He had 3 dozen top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events in his career; his last win came at the 1976 Pleasant Valley Classic.

After reaching the age of 50 in October 1994, Allin began competing on the Senior PGA Tour. He was nominated for Rookie of the Year in 1995, after an outstanding first full season. He also shot a Senior Tour record low round of 61 at the FHP Healthcare Classic that year. His lone Senior tour win came in 1997 at the American Express Invitational where he 2-putted from 60 feet on the 54th hole to win by one stroke over Jim Colbert. He competed five full seasons before electing to leave the tour despite being exempt for the 2000 season. Allin devoted the last years of his life to teaching at the San Diego Golf Academy and authoring his instructional manual, Center-Line, as well as an instructional DVD, Preferences. He lived in Boulder City, Nevada as well as California. He died in Hemet, California at the age of 62 from multiple forms of cancer.[1]

Professional wins (9)

PGA Tour wins (5)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Apr 4, 1971 Greater Greensboro Open −9 (75-64-67-69=275) Playoff United States Dave Eichelberger, United States Rod Funseth
2 Mar 4, 1973 Florida Citrus Open −23 (66-65-67-67=265) 8 strokes United States Charles Coody
3 Mar 10, 1974 Doral-Eastern Open −16 (66-71-68-67=272) 1 stroke United States Jerry Heard
4 May 5, 1974 Byron Nelson Golf Classic −15 (69-69-63-68=269) 4 strokes United States Homero Blancas, United States Charles Coody,
United States Lee Trevino, United States Tom Watson
5 Aug 1, 1976 Pleasant Valley Classic −7 (72-67-68-70=277) 1 stroke United States Ben Crenshaw

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 1971 Greater Greensboro Open United States Dave Eichelberger, United States Rod Funseth Won with birdie on first extra hole

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 Dec 7, 1980 New Zealand Open −14 (68-69-70-67=274) 1 stroke Republic of Ireland Eamonn Darcy

Other wins (2)

Senior PGA Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 Feb 23, 1997 American Express Invitational −11 (68-68-69=205) 1 stroke United States Jim Colbert

Results in major championships

Tournament 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
Masters Tournament CUT T15 T20 T19 T42
U.S. Open CUT T36 T34 T10 T24
The Open Championship
PGA Championship T53 34 T10 WD T42 CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Results in senior majors

Results may not be in chronological order

Tournament 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Senior PGA Championship T39 T4 T15 T18 CUT
U.S. Senior Open DNP CUT T18 DNP CUT
The Tradition T45 T43 WD 59 T45
Senior Players Championship 74 T69 T49 T45 T64

DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Rution, Joe (April 19, 2007). "Brian "Buddy" Allin 1944-2007". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved February 4, 2013.