1972 U.S. Amateur: Vinny Giles wins at Charlotte Country Club
Vinny Giles won the 1972 U.S. Amateur at Charlotte Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina with 72-hole stroke play, scoring 285, 3 strokes ahead of Mark Hayes.
Updated October 22, 2026
Walk this draw in the U.S. Amateur room.
- Edition
- 72nd
- Dates
- August 30, 1972 to September 2, 1972
- Course
- Charlotte Country Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Format
- 72-hole stroke play
- Champion
- Vinny Giles · age 29 · United States
- Champion's title
- 1st U.S. Amateur
- Runner-up
- Mark Hayes · age 23
- Winning score
- 285 (margin: 3)
- Defending champion
- Gary Cowan
- Entries
- 2,295
What happened at the 1972 U.S. Amateur
Giles fell behind on the 3rd hole of the final round and trailed Mark Hayes by two with 11 holes left, then scrambled to a 72 to win by three
After three straight runner-up finishes (1967-69) and a third in 1971, Giles won the last stroke-play U.S. Amateur: 'I always felt I was destined to win this tournament'
Final round, Vinny Giles v. Mark Hayes v. Ben Crenshaw, Giles 285, Hayes 288, Crenshaw 288. Giles, one ahead after 54 holes, lost the lead on the 3rd hole and trailed Hayes by two with 11 to play before recovering for a three-stroke win.
No draw: stroke play
From 1965 to 1972 the U.S. Amateur was 72 holes of stroke play, so there is no bracket for 1972.
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's U.S. Amateur data set (research collected through October 20, 2026). "unknown" means no source confirmed it; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the USGA's own record is used.
Data: us-amateur.json.
Sources
- USGA U.S. Amateur Record Book 2026
- Appleton Post-Crescent 1972-09-03 (AP) (archive.org appleton-post-crescent-1972-09-03)
- Appleton Post-Crescent 1972-09-03 (AP) (archive.org appleton-post-crescent-1972-09-03)
- Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram 1972-09-03 (AP) (archive.org independent-press-telegram-1972-09-03)
- Sports Illustrated 1972-09-11 'For the Record: golf' (archive.org Sports-Illustrated-1972-09-11)
- USGA U.S. Amateur Record Book 2026
- Appleton Post-Crescent 1972-09-03 (AP) (archive.org appleton-post-crescent-1972-09-03)
- Lompoc Record 1972-09-04 (UPI) (archive.org lompoc-record-1972-09-04)