Jay Sigel, 38, of Berwyn, Pennsylvania, became the oldest Amateur Champion since 1964, winning at The Country Club, in Brookline, Massachusetts. William C. Campbell won the Amateur Championship in 1964 at the age of 41. Ironically, Campbell was the referee in the morning round of the final match. Sigel competed in his first Amateur Championship in 1962. He won in his 16th attempt, defeating David Tolley, 22, of Roanoke, Virginia, 8 and 7, in the 36-hole final match.

Despite some uncharacteristically sloppy play on the first nine of the morning round, Sigel took a five-hole advantage into the afternoon round. He built the lead to seven holes before Tolley mounted a small comeback, winning the fifth and sixth holes to narrow the margin to five. But Sigel rolled in a birdie putt of 40 feet on the seventh to open a six hole advantage. He won the match on the 11th hole when Tolley conceded a short par putt.

Nathaniel Crosby, of Hillsborough, California, the 1981 Champion, qualified easily for match play with a 149 total, but lost to Tom Pernice, Jr., of Kansas City, Missouri, on the 19th hole of the first round. Pernice birdied both the 18th and 19th holes. Robert Stanger, Jr., of Durham, North Carolina, and Bob Lewis, Jr., of Warren, Ohio, shared medalist at 141, one under par. Stanger was eliminated in the third round by Jim Hallet, of South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, 2 and 1, while Sigel defeated Lewis, 3 and 2, in the first round.