Vietnam War Vet Wins in Rookie Season
Buddy Allin wins three-way playoff in the Greater Greensboro Open
This week the PGA TOUR is at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC for the Wyndham Championship. Sedgefield and the Wyndham have a rich PGA TOUR history being known as the Greater Greensboro Open from its inception in 1938 until 1988 when it was played as the KMart Greater Greensboro Open until 1996 when it was re-titled the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Open before becoming the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro in 2003, and finally, the Wyndham Championship in 2007. Today, it is the last tournament before the FedEx Cup playoffs begin. We’re backspinning to 1971 when a gritty, 5’7” Vietnam War vet won the title in his rookie season. Scroll down to see how Buddy Allin did it.
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Buddy Allin Sinks 30-Foot Putt On First Playoff Hole To Capture the Greater Greensboro Open
Buddy Allin (photo: Getty Images)
It is early in the morning on Friday, April 2nd, 1971, and a light drizzle is falling on Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC. Temperatures are chilly, dipping down into the 40s. The second round of the Greater Greensboro Open had begun just prior to the rain and Miller Barber and Pete Brown were out on the course as the rain began to fall.
Both players had good opening rounds with Barber shooting a 67, matching Bob Charles for the low round of the day, and Brown shooting a 68. The weather continued to deteriorate over the course of the day, but both Brown and Barber avoided the worst of it. Barber finished his second round with a 70, while Brown shot a 69. By the end of the soggy day, both would be tied for the lead at 137.
But it was a 5’7”, 130-pound Army veteran who fought in Vietnam, Buddy Allin, a recipient of two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars (one with a “V” for valor), who turned in the round of the day. His 64 was one stroke off the course record held by Gary Player, Sam Snead, and John Schlee. Allin recorded nine birdies and two bogeys under the dark clouds and intensifying rain. With his first round 75, Allin sat just two-strokes off the lead.
Allin was consistently described by reporters as “frail looking” and “boyish looking” even going so far as to say he looked like the drugstore delivery boy. We did mention that he won medals as an artilleryman in the Vietnam War, didn’t we?
Allin was tied with 10 other players at 139 including Bob Charles, Lee Trevino, current U.S. Open Champion Tony Jacklin, Dave Eichelberger and Rod Funseth.
“Every time I made a birdie today, I said I was giving myself another present,”
Thankfully, the weather was better for Saturday’s third round. Temperatures were still cool, but nothing like the chill from Friday and the skies were cloudy, but there wasn’t any rain. It was Rod Funseth’s 38th birthday and he celebrated with a round of 65, six-under-par and grabbed the lead at 204. His round included eight birdies and two bogeys.
“Every time I made a birdie today, I said I was giving myself another present,” Funseth said after his round. “Before I went out, I told myself that this was my birthday, so the best I could do was play well.”
Funseth played with Dave Eichelberger who was trying to secure a high finish that would earn him enough points to qualify for the Masters the next week. At one point it did not look good when it came to earning those points as he bogeyed the second and third holes.
“I was just about ready to walk in after those two bogeys, ready to kiss myself goodbye” Eichelberger told reporters after his round.
Eichelberger was two-strokes off the lead at 206. He and Funseth would play together again in Sunday’s final round paired in the final group.
Buddy Allin fed off the enthusiastic crowd as he played Saturday shooting a four-under-par 67 that put him in a tie with Barber and Eichelberger at 206.
“Quite a few people followed us today,” Allin said. “It was a big thrill for me. I think when the gallery is cheering for you, it really helps.”
Barber was cruising along nicely, at one point nine-under-par, when disaster struck at the 13th hole. Barber hit his drive into the trees where it came to rest against a root. His next shot hit the root and ricocheted out of bounds and he took a triple bogey. He got some of it back with an eagle on the next hole after dunking his wedge from 20 yards.
Pete Brown also had trouble with his tee shot at the final hole when he hit a small tree and his ball bounced out of bounds.
Allin and Barber would tee off in the penultimate group on Sunday.
Bob Charles and Pete Brown were another shot back at 207.
“I bogeyed 15 by three-putting from 20 feet, I’m so mad I can’t see straight.”
Buddy Allin woke up on Sunday, April 4th feeling confident, and that confidence carried over to his play on the course. He birdied the sixth hole and then strung together pars on the next eight holes. At the 15th hole, he chipped in from 100 feet for a birdie, but handed that gained stroke to par right back on the next hole with a bogey.
He got that stroke right back at the 17th after he hit his approach to four feet and then made the birdie putt. He secured his par on the 18th hole, signed his card for a two-under 69 and then waited for Eichelberger and Funseth to finish. By this time, Miller Barber had shot himself out of contention with a couple of bogeys coming down the stretch.
“I bogeyed 15 by three-putting from 20 feet,” Barber said as he made a hasty exit accompanied by a couple of deputy sheriffs. “I’m so mad I can’t see straight.”
Pete Brown made a short eagle putt at the 14th hole that got him to 10-under but ran out of gas playing the final holes.
“I didn’t choke, but I was tired,” Brown explained. “I thought 10-under would win it. And I was 10-under with three holes to play. But I couldn’t hold it. If I could have, I might have tied or won.”
Eichelberger arrived at the 18th hole with a one-stroke lead over both Funseth and Allin. He hit his tee shot deep into the trees and could do no better than bogey while Funseth made par setting up a three-way, sudden death playoff. The three players finished at nine-under for the four rounds.
“I kind of went to school on that one a little.”
Fans, trained by watching playoffs on television, scurried to the 15th hole where they expected the playoff to begin. But this tournament was not broadcast nationally, and the playoff began on the first hole.
All three players hit the fairway with their drives and then they all managed to hit their approach shots to the fringe of the green. Funseth and Allin had similar lines to the cup with Allin being slightly closer to the hole. Eichelberger had the shortest birdie putt. Funseth putted first and missed but gave Allin a great read for his putt.
“I kind of went to school on that one a little,” Allin later said. “I had a little hill to go over, then a valley. It was about 30 feet. I just stepped up and hit it.”
“I told myself the night before ‘you’re going to win this tournament.’ I slept on it and got up thinking the same thing.
The putt tracked over the hill and through the valley and found the bottom of the cup. Eichelberger missed his birdie putt giving Allin his first PGA TOUR title and along with it, exemptions into the Tournament of Champions and the match play tournament guaranteeing him an additional $3,200 more from those two tournaments. The first-place check at the Greater Greensboro Open was $38,000.
Buddy Allin’s winning putt on the first playoff hole at the 1971 Greater Greensboro Open (photo: Lewis Day, High Point Enterprise, High Point, NC)
Allin later explained his confident feelings during the final round saying, “I told myself the night before ‘you’re going to win this tournament.’ I slept on it and got up thinking the same thing. I felt the same way on the course, the same way when I teed off and the same way in the playoff.”
Buddy Allin showed the fortitude gained from the crucible of battle in the Vietnam War, and the confidence he felt during the final round, and the fan support he received each round, to win on the PGA TOUR in his rookie season.
Buddy Allin with the $38,000 winner’s check at the 1971 Greater Greensboro Open (photo: UPI Telephoto)
Dave Eichelberger won his way into the 1971 Masters. See this week’s Bonus Story for more.
Be sure to checkout Best of 1971 | Volume 2, our playlist this week. Listen HERE.
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Larry Baush
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Tour Backspin Quiz | 1971 PGA TOUR Trivia
How many PGA TOUR tournaments did Arnold Palmer win in 1971? What were they?
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Bonus Story
In 1971 qualifying for the Masters was done through a point system. Simply winning a tournament no longer got you an automatic invite. Dave Eichelberger came into the 1971 Greater Greensboro Open with a good chance to qualify for an invitation if he could secure a high finish. And he did exactly that finishing in a tie for second.
After losing to Buddy Allin in the playoff, Eichelberger waxed philosophically about not winning.
“I was disappointed that I didn’t win,” he said, “but it wasn’t anything to slash my wrists over. I’m just happy that I’m in the Masters. When I started Thursday morning, making the Masters was my main concern.”
In addition to qualifying for the Masters, Eichelberger, and Funseth, who was also in the playoff, took home checks for $17,575 for the second-place finish.
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Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
Arnold Palmer won four PGA TOUR tournaments in 1971. He won the Bob Hope Desert Classic, the Westchester Classic, the Florida Citrus Open and the National Team Championship (with partner Jack Nicklaus).
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