John Baldwin (1990)

When John Baldwin’s season began in the spring of 1990, he had not won a tournament in three years. He was not totally defeated, having his name on the MGA Honor Roll for almost 10 start years prior, but Baldwin was in a dry spell when it came to winning.

Baldwin, a successful Wall Street business man, played golf at University of North Carolina and even dabbled with professional tour life for about a year and a half. He ultimately decided to return to amateur status and played locally while his career rose.

His game really fell into place in his 1990 season. Baldwin was able to compete at a high level early in the Richardson, Havemeyer, Travis and Hochster Memorials. With consistency, he kept playing well and at the Ike, he pulled off a strong second place finish.  Baldwin’s highlight came at Piping Rock at that years Met Amateur. He took home the title ultimately beating R.J. Nakashian, but it was the semi-final match that carried more significance for Baldwin. In a close match, Baldwin defeated George Zahringer III, a longtime nemesis and took Wall Street bragging rights.

In total, Baldwin racked up 875 points, beating out second place Jeff Thomas by over 100 points.