Ralph Howe

Ralph Howe, III, 23, of West Sayville, New York, defeated 1987 champion Kevin Johnson of Pembroke, Massachusetts, on the 37th hole of the final at the Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club in Jackson, Wyoming. Howe is the first left-hander to win a USGA championship. Mike Foster of Vacaville, California, won the qualifying medal with a 36-hole total of 66-70-136, six under par.

He was eliminated in the second round by Kelly Manos of Cypress, California, 2 and 1. Howe, who qualified at 146, earned his place in the final round with a 2-up victory over Kyle McGee of Houston. Johnson eliminated Kevin Wentworth of Manteca, California, another left-hander, 3 and 1, in the other semifinal match.

Howe birdied the first hole of the final to go 1 up and held that lead through nine. He won the 10th with a birdie to go 2 up, and increased his lead to 3 when Johnson double-bogeyed the 14th. It was the only hole that Johnson played over par in the final. Johnson won the 17th with a birdie and trailed by two holes after the morning round.

The defending champion erased the deficit early in the afternoon round and when Howe bogeyed the 11h, Johnson took his first lead of the final. The 12th through the 17th were halved with pars, and Howe squared the match when he birdied the 18th. Howe chipped in from the back fringe for birdie on the first extra hole to win the match.

The Sacramento, California, team of Foster, Wentworth, and David Sutherland won the Team Championship with a 281 total. The Northport, New York team finished second, six strokes behind. The USGA accepted 5,283 entries for the championship.