Lufkin, Texas-Rob McNamara of Frankfort, Kentucky was the winner of the 81st Annual Southern Amateur Championship conducted over the period July 15-18, 1987 at the Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin, Texas. McNamara also won the 1986 Southern Amateur Championship and this victory in 1987 makes him the first champion since 1954 to successfully defend his crown. He holds the further distinction of being only the 2nd person since 1914 to become a back-to-back winner of the Southern Amateur Championship.

McNamara returned scores of 74-65-72-72 totaling 283, which was 5 under par, to gain the winner's spot by two strokes over the trio of John O'Neill of Arcadia, California; David Toms of Bossier City, Louisiana and David Smith of Longwood, Florida who finished in a three way tie for 2nd place at 285 which was 3 under par for the 72 hole route.

Chris Toulson of Knoxville, Tennessee had rounds of 81-68-67-71 totaling 287, 1 under par, and finished alone in 5th place. It is worthy to note that he played his last three rounds in a total of 10 under par.

Sixth place was a tie between three players, Joe Beck of Manchaca, Texas, Matt Peterson of Morganton, North Carolina and Bob Estes of Abilene, TX with scores of 289. Alone in ninth place at 290 was Thomas Tolles of Cape Coral, Florida. Rounding out the top ten was Chip Carter of Shreveport, Louisiana at 292.

John O'Neill, the Californian and a member of the Oklahoma State University Golf Team, was the opening round leader with a great 3 under par 69. This placed him 1 shot ahead of David Toms, Pat Pinson of Maumelle, Arkansas and Dudley Hart, the fine young collegiate golfer from Miami who we expect to hear further from in the years ahead. Two strokes behind O'Neill at 1 under par 71 were Bob Estes of Abilene, Texas; Joe Hamorski of Fort Walton Beach, Florida and Michael Hoyle of Arlington, Texas.

O'Neill continued at his tremendous under par pace with another 69 in the second round. This gave him a total of 138 for 36 holes and made him the Medalist and the winner of the Sam Perry Medalist Trophy. At this midway point in the Championship O'Neill enjoyed a 1 stroke advantage over McNamara and a 2 stroke lead over Chip Carter. Also, very much in the race at this point were Pinson at 3 under par 141; with Toms, Estes and Oswald Drawdy of Orangeburg, South Carolina all tied at 142, 2 under par.

After the third consecutive subpar round by O'Neill, a 1 under par 71, he continued to be the leader holding a 2 stroke lead over McNamara and a 4 stroke lead over Toms. There was no question that O'Neill was in a commanding position, and if he could continue his steady play and maintain his delicate touch with his short game, he could become the first Californian to win the Southern Amateur Championship.

However, in the fourth and final round, O'Neill's putter deserted him and the steady, even par 72 round by McNamara gained 4 strokes on O'Neill and Rob McNamara emerged as the winner of the 1987 Southern Amateur Championship by 2 strokes.

McNamara displayed the composure required of champions during the final round and also the tenacity to overcome the bad breaks that occur to all players at one time or another in the course of play. At one point in his final round, his tee shot came to rest in a divot hole in the fairway and he had what appeared to be a nearly unplayable lie. However, he proceeded to execute his next shot, approximately 155 yards, with force and excellence which resulted in his holing out from the unfortunate lie in the divot hole.

Enroute to his victory, McNamara accomplished another distinguished feat which should receive recognition. His second round score of 65 - which was 7 under par - established a new competition course record for this great Von Hagge/Deviin designed golf course. McNamara's 65 was 1 stroke better than the previous course record 66 established by Ben Crenshaw.

The Bob Jones Trophy is awarded annually to each member of the low team consisting of four players from the same state, based on the first 36 holes of play. The State of Florida was the winner in 1987 with a total team score of 577. This resulted from the performances of Joe Hamorski, Fort Walton Beach at 143; Thomas Tolles, Cape Coral also at 143; David Smith, Longwood at 145 and Tim Crockett, Delray Beach at 146.

The Crown Colony Country Club course is an exceptionally fine layout, cut out of the East Texas piney woods, offering a sprinkling of dogwood, redbud and stately oak. Water and bunkers are strategically woven into the excellent course routing. There is no wonder why this course is continually ranked among the top courses in the Southwest - including a recent ranking as one of the top 3 courses in Texas.

The coordination of efforts by the Host Club Representative, Donnie Carroll, and his daily untiring devotion, played a major role in the successful 1987 Southern Amateur Championship. This help, coupled with the cooperation and assistance received from Club Manager Rick Hatfield and his staff; Golf Professional Danny Silianoff and his staff and Golf Course Superintendent Angus McMillan and his staff were outstanding and contributed immeasurably to the resounding success of this 1987 Championship.