Jim Sorenson, 22, of Bloomington, Minnesota defeated Jay Cooper of Coral Gables, Florida, 12 and 11, to win the Championship at Wailua Golf Course in Lihue, Hawaii. Sorenson's margin of victory was the largest ever in the Amateur Public Links final. Robin McCool of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was medalist with a two-under-par 142 total.

Sorenson completely dominated the final match. He was 7 up after nine holes and 11 up at the close of the morning round. He needed only seven holes of the afternoon round to close out Cooper. The Pheonix, Arizona, team of Mike Swartz, Bill Mayfair, and Robert Vessel won the Team Championship in a playoff over the team from St. Louis, Missouri.

It was Pheonix's fourth team title in the last seven years. The USGA accepted 5,529 entries for the Championship, more than for any Championship in USGA history.