Profile of PGA Tour Winner Buddy Allin
Full name: Brian Thomas Allin
Date of birth: October 13, 1944
Place of birth: Bremerton, Washington
Date and place of death: March 10, 2007 in Hemet, California
Nickname: Bud, Buddy
Allin's Biggest Wins
Bud Allin won five times on the PGA Tour:- 1971 Greater Greensboro Open
- 1973 Florida Citrus Open
- 1974 Doral-Eastern Open
- 1974 Byron Nelson Golf Classic
- 1976 Pleasant Valley Classic
Allin had one win on the Champions Tour:
- 1997 American Express Invitational
In the Majors
Allin's best finish in a major championship was a tied for 10th place, which he achieved in both the 1974 U.S. Open and 1975 PGA Championship. Allin played in 16 majors, with five Top 20 finishes. His first appearance in a major was at the 1971 U.S. Open, and last at the 1980 PGA Championship.
More About Buddy Allin
Bud Allin grew up in Santa Barbara, California, and spent much of his life there. At age 13, he got into golf when he went to work as a caddie at Santa Barbara's municipal golf course.Before long he was playing tournament golf, and he got good enough to join the Brigham Young University golf team, where he was teammates with Johnny Miller. But in this third season, Allin left school in 1967 to join the Army, volunteering to serve in the Vietnam War. He served a year and a half as an artillery officer, and earned multiple medals including a Bronze Star.
When his Army tour was up in 1969, he returned home and returned to golf. Allin first played in a PGA Tour event in 1970, and won two non-Tour tournaments that year. He closed out the year by making it through Q-School to earn his PGA Tour card. Allin's rookie year was 1971.
And he picked up his first PGA Tour win that season. After getting into the Greater Greensboro Open through Monday qualifying, Allin faced Dave Eichelberger and Rod Funseth in a playoff, and won it on the first extra hole with a birdie.
After not winning in 1972, Allin picked up the 1973 Florida Citrus Open, the tournament now called the Arnold Palmer Invitational, beating runner-up Charles Coody by eight strokes. Then Allin won twice in 1974.
He finished a career-best ninth on the PGA Tour money list for 1974. His next-best money list finish was 26th in 1976, which was also the year of the last of Allin's five PGA Tour wins. But after that his game dropped off. He slid to 98th on the money list in 1977, and never got it back. (Although he did win in New Zealand in 1980.) He last played on the PGA Tour in 1982.
For his PGA Tour career, Allin made 263 starts and made the cut 170 times. He had five wins, two runner-up finishes, two third-place showings, and 35 Top 10s.
Upon turning 50 in 1994, Allin joined the senior circut. On the Champions Tour Allin made 157 starts with 23 Top 10 finishes, including one victory, two seconds and four thirds, last playing in 2000.
After retirement from tournament golf, Allin worked in Santa Barbara as a golf instructor, starting the Buddy Allin Junior Golf Program, and at the San Diego Golf Academy.
He had multiple cancer fights in his later years, and died at the age of 62 in 2007.
