PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Bud Allin, a Vietnam War veteran who won five times on the PGA Tour and found his greatest joy as a golf instructor, has died. He was 62.
He died of cancer Saturday in Hemet, Calif., the PGA Tour said Monday. He had said this year he had cancer in five parts of his body.
"Bud Allin's life was one of service and commitment," Champions Tour president Rick George said.
Allin played college golf at BYU but left school early to enlist in the Army. He did two tours in Vietnam and earned two Purple Hearts, according to Golfweek magazine.
Born in Bremerton, Wash., Allin joined the PGA Tour in 1970 and won five times, his last victory coming in 1976 at the Pleasant Valley Classic. His best year was in 1974 when he won the Doral-Eastern Open Invitational and Byron Nelson Golf Classic, finishing the season at ninth on the money list.
Allin won once on the Champions Tour, but he spent his time in senior golf simple to make money. His joy was teaching, and among the clubs he worked was the San Diego Golf Academy.
"The most popular instructor I've ever seen," PGA master professional Eric Wilson told Golfweek in a story this year. "The students just flocked to him. He would do anything to help them. He would come in on weekends to work with them."
