Brian 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. 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. He turned pro in 1969 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. Allin was well respected by his fellow tour players for his personality and his acute game but elected to leave the tour due to health issues in the early 1980s.
1980 New Zealand Open: Played at the Ngamotu course of the New Plymouth Golf Club on December 4 to 7, the leader after the second day was Dennis Clark with two fine rounds of 67.
Eamonn Darcy had scored a first-round 65, a score equalled by Maurice Bembridge next day, while the American Buddy Allin, who had hit his tee shot on the last hole out of bounds to ruin a winning opportunity the week before, was very steady with 68 and 69.
Darcy began the final round four strokes behind Simon Owen whose lead was due to a third-round 67 following a steady start, and two strokes behind Allin.
Allin scored five birdies in the first eight holes however and though Darcy stayed in touch, a missed putt at 16 when Allin birdied and gained a two-stroke advantage proved a deciding factor.
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 completed 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.
