Billy Tuten

Billy Tuten, 21, of Palatka, Florida, won a second successive Amateur Public Links titles, defeating David Hobby, of Santa Ana, California, 3 and 1, at the Hominy Hill Golf Course, in Colts Neck, New Jersey. Tuten, who two months earlier had been a member of the victorious U.S. Walker Cup Team, qualified for match play easily with a 148 total.

En route to the final, Tuten defeated Dean Prince, of San Bruno, California, the 1978 APL Champion, 5 and 3 in the semifinal round. Hobby qualified with 149, and defeated Greg Twiggs, his college teammate, from San Diego State University, 3 and 1; and in the semifinals, Mike Swartz, the reigning National Junior College Champion, 4 and 3.

Tuten birdied two of the first four holes of the final to take a 2-up lead, but Hobby won the sixth and 13th holes to even the match. After both players birdied the par-5 14th, Hobby opened up to a two-hole lead by winning the 15th and 17th holes. As the afternoon round began, Hobby won two of the first four three holes to increase his lead to 4 up with 15 to play.

Tuten, however, won four of the next five holes, three with birdies, to even the match. Hobby eagled the ninth, to go 1 up, but Tuten won the 10th to pull even once again. When Hobby hit his tee shot on the par-3 11th into a pond, Tuten went ahead for good.

Tuten went 2 up with a par at the 14th and closed out the match when he hit the par-5 17th in 2 and two-putted for a birdie. The Los Angeles team of Mike Miles, Jeff Johnson, and John Ledgerwood won the Warren G. Harding Team Trophy, emblematic of the Amateur Public Links Team Championship.

They combined for a 292 total, three strokes better than the team from Des Moines, Iowa. Fifty-four teams competed. The USGA accepted entries from 4,533 players.