Wednesday, April 22, 1998 | 8:47 a.m.
It's not that the days have dwindled down to a precious few.
But Bud Allin has his newly arranged priorities and laboring with his golf swing is no longer at the top of the list.
Having survived Vietnam and being exposed to Agent Orange and two resulting surgeries that cost him a piece of his leg and later his lymph glands, plus enduring the days when his bank account was perilously close to zero, Allin is inclined to appreciate this sunny time in his life.
He's secure on the PGA Senior Tour -- secure enough to have spent Tuesday on his boat at Lake Mead while many of his tour buddies were arriving in Las Vegas and trying to squeeze in a round of golf in preparation for this week's Las Vegas Senior Classic.
"My ego doesn't require me to be the best player on the tour," the Boulder City resident said. "I never was the best player when I was on the PGA Tour and I'll never be the best player on the Senior Tour.
"I'm not Hale Irwin or Dave Stockton or Jim Colbert. I don't need to be the best and have my ego stroked like that."
Allin, 53, enjoys all-exempt status on the Senior Tour as the result of winning the American Express Invitational in Sarasota, Fla., 14 months ago. That victory enabled him to keep his Senior Tour commitment in perspective.
"I don't ever tee it up in the first round and think about winning," he said. "What I do is try to play well and make some checks. The $2,000 checks, the $10,000 checks, they all add up.
"Winning? I don't think about it."
He did, however, think about it prior to shooting 68, 68, 69 en route to his victory in Sarasota.
"My wife (Carol) and I were in a deep hole," Allin said. "We were dead broke. We had spent everything we had. That win definitely made a difference."
It was worth $180,000 and led to Allin finishing the 1997 season ranked 29th on the tour in money won with $535,064. The year before he finished 37th with $365,734, and his debut year on the 50-and-older circuit, 1995, he finished 17th with $585,142.
The U.S. Army veteran comes into this week's event at the TPC at Summerlin and TPC at The Canyons ranked 39th with $86,767 in nine tournaments.
"It's been a rough year," he said. "I haven't played that well and it's exasperating. It's a matter of feel and I haven't been swinging well."
Yet he left Florida and the PGA Seniors' Championship last Sunday relatively happy with his game. After opening 74, 76, Allin moved up the leader board with rounds of 70 and 74 and won $18,500 for finishing in a tie for 18th.
"I was monkeying around with my swing and I played better the last 25 holes," he said. "Eighteenth is good for me and I gained a little confidence. I've got some better thoughts."
His contentedness led him to bypass either of the TPC layouts Tuesday and, instead, take some friends to the lake.
It was Boulder City's proximity to Lake Mead that led to the Allins settling there 2 1/2 years ago. They enjoy the water and it was a positive factor when they decided to move here from California.
Allin will play a practice round today in preparation for the four-day tournament, although he doesn't feel he has an added advantage despite his familiarity with both TPC courses. Like fellow tour pro Bob Charles -- who was very outspoken in his dissatisfaction with The Canyons last year -- Allin said the course doesn't set up well for him.
"I hit a hotter shot and The Canyons is a course where you have to put a lot of spin on the ball," he said. "It's certainly no advantage for me to be playing there. I'm similar to Bob Charles although certainly not the golfer he is, but I agree with him that that course is not easy for a lot of us."
He'll open play Thursday at The Canyons and has an 8:10 a.m. tee time.
"I'll just try to hit the ball good and have a decent tournament," he said. "I'm just out there trying to make a living."
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