Allen Doyle Captures Co-Medalist Honors at the 91st U.S. Amateur Championship-August 22, 1991

Firing his second consecutive round of 4-under-par 68 on the Cleveland Country Club course, the 43-year-old LaGrange, Georgia resident finished the 36-hole stroke-play qualifier with a combined total of 136, tying with Minnesota’s John Harris for tournament medalist honors.

Out of an original starting field of 312 elite competitors, the low 64 scorers advanced to match play on the rugged, twisting, par-72, 7,064-yard course designed by renowned architect Pete Dye. Doyle, a six-time Georgia Amateur champion and the nation’s No. 2 ranked amateur, demonstrated exceptional precision during his second qualifying round on the par-70, 6,557-yard Cleveland layout by sinking five birdies—including three impressive putts from beyond 10 feet. However, that performance followed his stellar opening-round 68 on Tuesday at The Honors Course, during which he caught fire on the back nine with five birdies.

“On this layout, it’s not how many birdies you make,” Doyle remarked on the eve of match play. “It’s how many bogeys you don’t make… Maybe it helps that I’ve played here before. But after you’ve been over the course a few times, you find it’s not as hard as you think.” Having played four previous competitive matches on the punishing course, Doyle hoped his prior course knowledge would provide a decisive edge. The grueling tournament schedule required four subsequent rounds across Friday and Saturday to whittle the remaining field down to two finalists, who faced a 36-hole championship final—and sudden-death playoff if necessary—on Sunday to crown the national amateur champion.

(Reporting by Associated Press)