Beth Daniel (born October 14, 1956) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1979 and won 33 LPGA Tour events, including one major championship, during her career. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Early life and amateur career Daniel was born on October 14, 1956, in Charleston, South Carolina. She played her college golf at Furman University, and was on the 1976 national championship team that included future LPGA players Betsy King, Sherri Turner and Cindy Ferro. In 1977, she won the Broderick Award (now the Honda Sports Award) as the nation's best female collegiate golfer.
Daniel won the U.S. Women's Amateur in 1975 and 1977, the 1978 Women's Western Amateur, and was on the U.S. Curtis Cup teams in 1976 and 1978 (going 4–0 in 1976).
Professional career She turned pro at the end of 1978 and joined the LPGA Tour in 1979. Daniel's first victory came in 1979 year at the Patty Berg Classic, and she went on to win the LPGA Rookie of the Year award. Over the next five years, when Nancy Lopez was at her most dominant, she still managed to win 13 tournaments, including four in 1980 when she was named LPGA Tour Player of the Year. Daniel led the Tour in wins in 1982, 1990 and 1994. She also led in scoring three times, including in 1989 when she became the second golfer in Tour history to record a scoring average below 71.00.
The year 1990 was Daniel's most successful on tour. She won seven times, including her lone major at the Mazda LPGA Championship. That year she was also named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. Along the way, she endured two major slumps. She was winless from 1986 to 1988 and again from 1996 to 2002. When she finally won again in 2003, she became - at age 46 years, 8 months and 29 days - the oldest winner in Tour history. She had outlasted most of her contemporaries such as King, Patty Sheehan and Amy Alcott, remaining competitive on the LPGA Tour.
Daniel won the Golf Writers Association of America Female Player of the Year in 1980 and 1990. She also won the 1981 Seagrams Seven Crowns of Sport Award for women's golf. She was inducted into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame in September 1995. She was recognized during the LPGA's 50th Anniversary in 2000 as one of the LPGA's top-50 players and teachers.
Daniel played on eight U.S. Solheim Cup teams: in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2005.
By 2005 Daniel had cut back her schedule, and played just five events by 2007. That year she also served as assistant captain on the U.S. Solheim Cup team, and was named captain for the American squad in 2009. In 2007, she joined the Golf Channel as a substitute analyst for LPGA Tournament coverage. Her first event was the 2007 Safeway Classic.
Daniel also awards the best junior female golfer in South Carolina with the Beth Daniel Award. The award is given to the player with the most SCJGA (South Carolina Junior Golf Association) points in a year.
In 2009, Daniel was the captain of the U.S. Solheim Cup team that defeated Europe by a score of 16–12 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
Personal life Beth Daniel is in a long-term relationship with fellow golfer Meg Mallon. In, 2017 Mallon revealed that she and Daniel, have been in a relationship for nearly 25 years.
Awards and honors In 1977, she won the Broderick Award as the nation's best female collegiate golfer. In 1979, Daniel earned the LPGA Rookie of the Year award. In 1980 and 1990, Daniel won the Golf Writers Association of America Female Player of the Year. Daniel won the LPGA's money list three times: in 1980, 1981, and 1990.
Professional wins (41) LPGA Tour wins (33) LegendLPGA Tour major championships (1)Other LPGA Tour (32)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Aug 26, 1979Patty Berg Classic−11 (68-69-71=208)4 strokes Hollis Stacy2Jun 1, 1980Golden Lights Championship−1 (72-74-70-71=287)2 strokes Nancy Lopez Jo Ann Washam3Aug 17, 1980Patty Berg Golf Classic−9 (60-70-72=210)2 strokes Hollis Stacy4Aug 24, 1980Columbia Savings LPGA Classic−12 (71-66-67-72=276)6 strokes Jane Blalock Sandra Post5Sep 7, 1980World Series of Women's Golf−6 (71-72-68-71=282)1 stroke Nancy Lopez6Apr 19, 1981Florida Lady Citrus−7 (68-67-74-72-281)Playoff Donna Caponi Cindy Hill Patti Rizzo Patty Sheehan7Aug 23, 1981World Championship of Women's Golf−4 (72-72-69-71=284)1 stroke Jan Stephenson8Feb 21, 1982Bent Tree Ladies Classic−12 (71-71-66-68=276)4 strokes Amy Alcott9Mar 7, 1982American Express Sun City Classic−10 (70-67-71-70=278)Playoff Carole Jo Kabler10May 2, 1982Birmingham Classic−13 (64-70-69=203)4 strokes Patty Sheehan11Aug 1, 1982Columbia Savings Classic−12 (72-68-72-64=276)2 strokes Patty Sheehan12Aug 15, 1982WUI Classic−12 (68-68-67-73=276)8 strokes Martha Nause Ayako Okamoto13Jul 17, 1983McDonald's Kids Classic−2 (67-71-73-75=286)Playoff JoAnne Carner14Apr 14, 1985Kyocera Inamori Classic−2 (70-70-74-72=286)2 strokes Pat Meyers15Aug 6, 1989Greater Washington Open−8 (66-68-71=205)4 strokes Sherri Turner16Sep 4, 1989Rail Charity Golf Classic−13 (69-70-64=203)3 strokes Betsy King Alice Ritzman17Sep 17, 1989Safeco Classic−15 (69-69-65-70=2736 strokes Cindy Rarick18Oct 1, 1989Konica San Jose Classic−11 (65-67-73=205)1 stroke Pat Bradley19Feb 24, 1990Orix Hawaiian Ladies Open−6 (71-67-72=210)3 strokes Amy Benz Patty Sheehan20Mar 4, 1990Women's Kemper Open−1 (73-75-66-69=283)1 stroke Laura Davies Rosie Jones21Jul 23, 1990The Phar-Mor in Youngstown−9 (65-69-73=207)Playoff Patty Sheehan22Jul 29 1990Mazda LPGA Championship−4 (71-73-70-66=280)1 stroke Rosie Jones23Aug 26, 1990Northgate Classic−13 (66-69-68=203)6 strokes Penny Hammel Christa Johnson24Sep 3, 1990Rail Charity Golf Classic−13 (67-69-67=203)3 strokes Susan Sanders25Oct 7, 1990Centel Classic−17 (71-63-68-69=271)1 stroke Nancy Lopez26Feb 10, 1991The Phar-Mor at Inverrary−7 (67-73-69=209)2 strokes Nancy Lopez27Jul 23, 1991McDonald's Championship−11 (67-71-67-68=273)4 strokes Pat Bradley Sally Little28May 29, 1994LPGA Corning Classic−10 (67-71-71-69=278)1 stroke Stephanie Farwig Nancy Ramsbottom29Jun 5, 1994Oldsmobile Classic−20 (67-63-70-68-268)4 strokes Lisa Kiggens30Jul 17, 1994JAL Big Apple Classic−8 (70-69-66-71=276)Playoff Laura Davies31Oct 16, 1994World Championship of Women's Golf−14 (68-70-71-65=274)3 strokes Elaine Crosby32Aug 13, 1995PING/Welch's Championship (Boston)−17 (65-68-69-69=271)3 strokes Meg Mallon Colleen Walker33Jul 15, 2003BMO Financial Group Canadian Women's Open−13 (69-69-69-68=275)1 stroke Juli Inkster
LPGA Tour playoff record (5–6) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result11981Florida Lady Citrus Donna Caponi Cindy Hill Patti Rizzo Patty SheehanWon with birdie on second extra holeHill, Rizzo, and Sheehan eliminated by par on first hole 21982American Express Sun City Classic Carole Jo Kabler Won with birdie on second extra hole31983McDonald's Kids Classic JoAnne CarnerWon with birdie on first extra hole41983 Columbia Savings Classic Pat BradleyLost to birdie on first extra hole51988Atlantic City LPGA Classic Juli InksterLost to par on first extra hole61989 Oldsmobile LPGA Classic Dottie MochrieLost to par on fifth extra hole71990The Phar-Mor in Youngstown Patty SheehanWon with birdie on first extra hole81991Northgate Computer Classic Jody Anschutz Cindy RarickRarick won with birdie on third extra holeAnschutz eliminated by par on first hole91992The Phar-Mor in Youngstown Donna Andrews Betsy King Meg MallonKing won with birdie on first extra hole101992Sun-Times Challenge Judy Dickinson Dottie PepperPepper won with par on sixth extra holeDaniel eliminated by par on fourth hole111994JAL Big Apple Classic Laura DaviesWon with birdie on first extra hole
LPGA of Japan Tour wins (4) 1979 World Ladies 1988 Nichirei International 1990 Konica Cup World Ladies 1991 Konica Cup World Ladies
Other wins (4) 1981 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with Tom Kite) 1990 JCPenney Classic (with Davis Love III) 1995 JCPenney Classic (with Davis Love III) 1999 World Golf Hall of Fame Championship (with Johnny Miller)
Major championships Wins (1) YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner-up 1990 Mazda LPGA Championship −4 (71-73-70-66=280)1 stroke Rosie Jones
Results timeline Tournament 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980LPGA ChampionshipT38T3U.S. Women's OpenCUTT24T53T20T10du Maurier Classic.........T165
Tournament 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990Kraft Nabisco Championship......T24T11T17T22T6T6LPGA ChampionshipT5T7T16T2T10T15T58T141U.S. Women's Open2T2WDT10CUTT21T33T10T20T6du Maurier Classic T172T63T6T1427CUTT47T73
Tournament 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipT30T8T69T19T47CUT72T43T47LPGA Championship4T35T17T7T18T26T58CUTT33U.S. Women's OpenT11CUTT53T18CUTT19T31T478du Maurier Classic WDT17CUTT45T36T54T13T23
Tournament 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipT55T14T5T40T9T13LPGA ChampionshipT262T3T39T54T39CUTU.S. Women's OpenT24T7T20T27CUTWomen's British Open ^CUTT16T14T5T56T6T50 ^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
CUT = missed the half-way cut. WD = withdrew T = tied
Summary Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts madeKraft Nabisco Championship 0 1 0 3 7 13 22 21LPGA Championship 1 2 2 7 10 15 27 25U.S. Women's Open 0 2 0 2 8 17 29 23du Maurier Classic 0 1 1 3 5 11 20 17Women's British Open 0 0 0 1 2 4 7 6Totals 1 6 3 16 32 60 105 92 Most consecutive cuts made – 17 (1977 U.S. Open – 1983 Peter Jackson Classic) Longest streak of top-10s – 5 (1981 U.S. Open – 1983 Nabisco Dinah Shore)
U.S. national team appearances Amateur Curtis Cup: 1976 (winners), 1978 (winners) Espirito Santo Trophy: 1978
Professional Solheim Cup: 1990 (winners), 1992, 1994 (winners), 1996 (winners), 2000, 2002 (winners), 2003, 2005 (winners), 2009 (non-playing captain, winners) World Cup: 2005 Handa Cup: 2007 (winners), 2008 (winners), 2009 (winners), 2010 (winners), 2011 (winners), 2012 (tie, Cup retained), 2013, 2014 (winners), 2015 (winners)
See also List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins
References
External links