Thomas Andrew Bean (March 13, 1953 – October 14, 2023) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
Bean won numerous tournaments at both the amateur and professional level. Bean won 11 PGA Tour events, including the 1986 Byron Nelson Golf Classic, and three events on the Champions Tour, including a nine-stroke victory at the 2008 Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Early years
Bean was born in LaFayette, Georgia, on March 13, 1953,[1] and raised on Jekyll Island, Georgia, where his father was associated with a golf course. His family moved to Lakeland, Florida, when he was 15, and his father bought a golf course there.[1]
College career
Bean attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he became a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity (Florida Upsilon Chapter) and played for coach Buster Bishop's Florida Gators men's golf team from 1972 to 1975.[2] While he was a Florida student, he won four amateur tournaments. Bean and future fellow PGA Tour players Woody Blackburn, Phil Hancock, and Gary Koch were members of the Gators' 1973 team that won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and NCAA Championships.[3] He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 1973 and 1975, and an All-American in 1973, 1974 and 1975.[2][4] He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in marketing in 1975, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1978.[5][6]
Professional career
Bean turned professional in 1975. He finished inside the top 35 on the money list from 1977 to 1986. In five of those years he was in the top seven. His first PGA Tour victory was at the Doral-Eastern Open in 1977, and his last was at the Byron Nelson Golf Classic in 1986. In 1978 he won three times. Bean played on the United States Ryder Cup team in 1979 and 1987 and spent several weeks ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings in 1986 and 1987.[7]
Bean never won a major championship but he finished second three times. He had a solo second-place finish behind Jack Nicklaus at the 1980 PGA Championship. At the 1983 British Open, Bean and Hale Irwin finished tied for second, one stroke behind Tom Watson; and in the 1989 PGA Championship, Bean, Mike Reid, and Curtis Strange tied for second, one stroke behind Payne Stewart.[8]
After turning 50 in March, 2003, Bean played on the Champions Tour, where he won for the first time at the 2006 Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn. In May, 2008, he added a second Champions Tour title with a victory in the Regions Charity Classic. He won the season ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in 2008 at Sonoma, California, winning by nine shots over Gene Jones with a tournament record 20-under-par total.
Bean was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.[1]
Personal life and death
Bean lived in Lakeland, Florida, where he enjoyed hunting and fishing. He and his wife Debbie had three daughters: Lauren, Lindsay, and Jordan.
Bean died from complications of double lung transplant surgery in Lakeland on October 14, 2023. He was 70.[9][10]
Amateur wins
- 1974 Eastern Amateur, Falstaff Amateur
- 1975 Dixie Amateur, Western Amateur
Professional wins (18)
PGA Tour wins (11)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 13, 1977 | Doral-Eastern Open | −11 (67-67-71-72=277) | 1 stroke |  David Graham
|
| 2 | Jun 4, 1978 | Kemper Open | −15 (72-67-68-66=273) | 5 strokes |  Mark Hayes, Andy North
|
| 3 | Jun 11, 1978 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | −11 (70-68-69-70=277) | Playoff | Lee Trevino
|
| 4 | Jul 2, 1978 | Western Open | −6 (70-71-75-66=282) | Playoff | Bill Rogers
|
| 5 | Jun 10, 1979 | Atlanta Classic | −23 (70-67-61-67=265) | 8 strokes | Joe Inman
|
| 6 | Feb 10, 1980 | Hawaiian Open | −22 (71-63-66-66=266) | 3 strokes | Lee Trevino
|
| 7 | Mar 1, 1981 | Bay Hill Classic | −18 (68-62-67-69=266) | 7 strokes | Tom Watson
|
| 8 | Feb 28, 1982 | Doral-Eastern Open (2) | −10 (68-69-72-69=278) | 1 stroke | Scott Hoch, Mike Nicolette, Jerry Pate
|
| 9 | Apr 8, 1984 | Greater Greensboro Open | −8 (71-67-72-70=280) | 2 strokes | George Archer
|
| 10 | Mar 9, 1986 | Doral-Eastern Open (3) | −12 (71-68-68-69=276) | Playoff | Hubert Green
|
| 11 | May 11, 1986 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | −11 (66-68-67-68=269) | 1 stroke | Mark Wiebe
|
PGA Tour playoff record (3–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1978 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | Lee Trevino
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1978 | Western Open | Bill Rogers
|
Won with par on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1979 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | Mark Hayes, Lon Hinkle
|
Hinkle won with birdie on third extra hole Bean eliminated by par on second hole |
| 4 | 1984 | Honda Classic | Bruce Lietzke
|
Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 5 | 1984 | Memorial Tournament | Jack Nicklaus
|
Lost to par on third extra hole |
| 6 | 1986 | Doral-Eastern Open | Hubert Green
|
Won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
PGA of Japan Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 26, 1978 | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | −13 (67-70-69-69=275) | 5 strokes | Graham Marsh
|
| 2 | Nov 1, 1987 | ABC Japan-U.S. Match | −19 (64-72-68-65=269) | 5 strokes |  Masahiro Kuramoto
|
Other wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 15, 1986 | Isuzu Kapalua International | −10 (72-68-68-70=278) | 2 strokes | Davis Love III
|
| 2 | Nov 14, 1987 | Isuzu Kapalua International (2) | −21 (66-65-69-67=267) | 3 strokes | Lanny Wadkins
|
Champions Tour wins (3)
| Legend |
|---|
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other Champions Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 1, 2006 | Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn | −15 (63-70-68=201) | Playoff | R. W. Eaks
|
| 2 | May 18, 2008 | Regions Charity Classic | −13 (65-68-70=203) | 1 stroke | Loren Roberts
|
| 3 | Nov 2, 2008 | Charles Schwab Cup Championship | −20 (68-66-68-66=268) | 9 strokes | Gene Jones
|
Champions Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006 | Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn | R. W. Eaks
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T19 | T24 | T28 | ||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T63 | T23 | T6 | T25 | ||
| The Open Championship | T48 | ||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T7 | T12 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T12 | CUT | T10 | CUT | T18 | T25 | CUT | T35 | CUT | 51 |
| U.S. Open | CUT | WD | T34 | T11 | T15 | T24 | CUT | T12 | CUT | |
| The Open Championship | T6 | T2 | T14 | T35 | T14 | T40 | T16 | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | 2 | CUT | T30 | T16 | T3 | T53 | T65 | CUT | T2 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T33 | ||||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | |||||||||
| The Open Championship | |||||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 10 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 8 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 9 |
| Totals | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 53 | 36 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1983 U.S. Open – 1985 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1980 Open Championship – 1980 PGA)
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | T28 | 8 | T51 | WD | T35 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T21 | CUT | T36 | T8 | T9 | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
U.S. national team appearances
See also
- Fall 1975 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 1995 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- List of American Ryder Cup golfers
- List of Florida Gators men's golfers on the PGA Tour
- List of Sigma Alpha Epsilon members
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members
References
- ^ a b c "Andy Bean (2000)". Florida Sports Hall of Fame, Inductees. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- ^ a b "Florida Men's Golf 2013 Media Supplement" (PDF). Gainesville, Florida: University Athletic Association. pp. 33, 36, 39, 41. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 5, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2013..
- ^ Andreu, Robbie (June 18, 2009). "Top 25 Gator teams: #8 1973 Men's golf". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ "2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide" (PDF). Gainesville, Florida: University Athletic Association. 2008. p. 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
- ^ "Gator Greats". F Club, Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
- ^ "Bean And Koch Inducted". The Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. March 30, 1978. p. 1D. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
- ^ "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking". Official World Golf Ranking. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ^ "Andy Bean". Golf Major Championships. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ "Andy Bean, 11-time PGA Tour winner, dies after recent lung replacement surgery". NBC Sports. October 14, 2023.
- ^ "11-time PGA Tour winner Andy Bean dies at 70". ESPN. Reuters. October 14, 2023.
External links
- Andy Bean at the PGA Tour official site
- Andy Bean at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- Andy Bean at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
 | ||
Won: 17 – 11 | ||
| ||
Lost: 13 – 15 | ||