1981 U.S. Amateur: Nathaniel Crosby wins at The Olympic Club (Lake Course)
Nathaniel Crosby won the 1981 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club (Lake Course) in San Francisco, California, beating Brian Lindley won on 37th hole in the final.
Updated October 22, 2026
Walk this draw in the U.S. Amateur room.
- Edition
- 81st
- Dates
- September 1, 1981 to September 6, 1981
- Course
- The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, California
- Stroke-play co-host
- The Olympic Club (Ocean Course), San Francisco, California
- Format
- stroke-play qualifying (36 holes) + match play
- Champion
- Nathaniel Crosby · age 19 · United States
- Champion's title
- 1st U.S. Amateur
- Runner-up
- Brian Lindley · age 24
- Final
- won on 37th hole
- Losing semifinalists
- Willie Wood and Bob Lewis
- Stroke-play medalist
- Joe Rassett (145)
- Defending champion
- Hal Sutton · lost in round of 64 (to Jodie Mudd, 2 up)
- Entries
- 3,525
What happened at the 1981 U.S. Amateur
Semifinal: three down to Willie Wood after eight, Crosby saved par from bunkers at the 16th, 17th (to two feet) and 18th to win 2 up.
Final: 2 down with three to play, Crosby won the 34th and 35th and holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the 37th hole (the par-5 1st).
The draw
Every match is recorded through the round of 16; earlier rounds are partial (round of 32 (7 of 16 matches); round of 64 (7 of 32 matches)).
The final, 1981 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nathaniel Crosby | def. | Brian Lindley | won on 37th hole |
Semifinals, 1981 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nathaniel Crosby | def. | Willie Wood | 2 up |
| Brian Lindley | def. | Bob Lewis | 3 & 2 |
Quarterfinals, 1981 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Lewis | def. | John Morse | 1 up |
| Brian Lindley | def. | David Tentis | 2 & 1 |
| Nathaniel Crosby | def. | Bob Michael | 5 & 4 |
| Willie Wood | def. | Jim Carter | 3 & 2 |
Round of 16, 1981 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Lewis | def. | Bill Bergin | 1 up |
| John Morse | def. | Brad Faxon | 5 & 4 |
| David Tentis | def. | Ronan Rafferty | won on 20th hole |
| Brian Lindley | def. | Brian Gaddy | 3 & 2 |
| Bob Michael | def. | Gary Krueger | 4 & 2 |
| Nathaniel Crosby | def. | Steve Hart | 2 & 1 |
| Jim Carter | def. | John Grace | 1 up |
| Willie Wood | def. | David Lee | 1 up |
Round of 32, 1981 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Bergin | def. | Joe Rassett | 2 & 1 |
| Brian Lindley | def. | Mike McGee | 2 & 1 |
| Steve Hart | def. | Jodie Mudd | 4 & 3 |
| Nathaniel Crosby | def. | Bob Wolcott Jr. | 2 & 1 |
| Ronan Rafferty | def. | Ian Hutcheon | 2 & 1 |
| John Grace | def. | Jay Sigel | 4 & 2 |
| Jim Carter | def. | Colin Dalgleish | unknown |
Round of 64, 1981 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jodie Mudd | def. | Hal Sutton | 2 up |
| Bill Bergin | def. | William Hadden | 5 & 4 |
| Brian Lindley | def. | Ron Commans | 1 up |
| Steve Hart | def. | John Gagai | 4 & 2 |
| Nathaniel Crosby | def. | Frank Fuhrer | 2 & 1 |
| Ronan Rafferty | def. | John Hamarik | 3 & 2 |
| Joe Rassett | def. | Danny Mijovic | unknown |
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.