Buddy Allin

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

Allin was born in Bremerton, Washington. He attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and was a member of the golf team along with Johnny Miller. He served in the Army during the Vietnam War earning two bronze stars and three other metals as an artillery officer. He turned pro in 1969 and qualified for the PGA Tour on his first attempt.

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. His best finish in a major was a T-10 at the 1974 U.S. Open and the 1975 PGA Championship, which he led after the first round. He had 3 dozen top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events in his career; his last win came at the 1976 Pleasant Valley Classic. He was considered by his peers to be one of the great ball-strikers and putters of the seventies. He left the tour due to health issues in the early 1980s.

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 only win came in 1997 at the American Express Invitational where he 2-putted from 60 feet on the 72nd hole to win by one stroke in blustery conditions. He competed five full seasons before electing to leave the tour. 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. [cite news | title=Golfer Bud Allin, Vietnam vet, dies at 62 | date=2007-03-12 | publisher=SFGate.com | url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/12/sports/s145726D10.DTL]

Professional wins (8)

PGA Tour wins (5)

*1971 (1) Greater Greensboro Open
*1973 (1) Florida Citrus Open
*1974 (2) Doral-Eastern Open, Byron Nelson Golf Classic
*1976 (1) Pleasant Valley Classic

Other wins (2)

*1970 Utah Open
*1980 New Zealand Open

enior PGA Tour wins (1)

*1997 American Express Invitational

ee also

*Golfers with most PGA Tour wins

Notes and References

External links

* [http://www.pgatour.com/players/intro/132151 Profile on PGA Tour's official site]
* [http://www.buddyallingolf.com/ Buddy Allin Golf]
* [http://www.buddyallin.com/ Official website]