U.S. Amateur : LSU Golf Coach Is Easy Winner in 2-Round Final

Buddy Alexander, who failed to make the pro golf circuit, made it big as a reinstated amateur Sunday by capturing the 86th U.S. Amateur championship with a 5 and 3 victory over Chris Kite.

“Unbelievable,” the LSU golf coach said. “Certainly this is easily my biggest moment in golf.”

Alexander birdied four of the last five holes, one out of a bunker, and 6 of the last 10 to dispose of Kite, the No. 1 player on Wake Forest’s national college championship team this year.

The victory earned Alexander a spot in the 1987 U.S. Open. The four semifinalists in the Amateur receive invitations to play in next year’s Masters.

Alexander took the lead on the 16th hole of the morning round and never relinquished it, holding a 2-up lead after the first 18 holes.

He survived a string of three consecutive birdies by Kite early in the afternoon round and then began pulling away.

Alexander went 4-up with a conceded 10-foot birdie on No. 11 where Kite had bogeyed. He scored from 25-30 feet out of a trap on No. 12, from 15 feet on No. 13 and ended the match with a 7-foot uphill birdie on the 15th.

Alexander, a former pro who regained his amateur status one month ago, also birdied the par 4 No. 7 and built his lead to 3-up at the turn when Kite had a bogey 5 on No. 9.

Alexander had three consecutive birdies beginning at No. 11 where he went 4-up, but Kite matched the birdies on Nos. 12 and 13.

After both parred the 14th, Alexander ended the match with a birdie on the 15th, standing at 6-under par at that point in the afternoon round. Kite, who parred 15, was 2-under.

Alexander’s victory on the 6,981-yard, par-72 Shoal Creek course came under threatening skies, but there was only occasional misty rain through the day.

Alexander never earned his card to join the PGA Tour, but he did appear in some pro tournaments.