Andy Bean (golfer)

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 life Bean was born in LaFayette, Georgia, on March 13, 1953, 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.

Amateur 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.. 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. He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 1973 and 1975, and an All-American in 1973, 1974 and 1975. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in marketing in 1975.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Awards and honors

In 1978, Bean was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great." In 2000, Bean was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

Amateur wins 1974 Eastern Amateur, Falstaff Amateur 1975 Dixie Amateur, Western Amateur

Professional wins (18) PGA Tour wins (11) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Mar 13, 1977Doral-Eastern Open−11 (67-67-71-72=277)1 stroke David Graham2Jun 4, 1978Kemper Open−15 (72-67-68-66=273)5 strokes Mark Hayes, Andy North 3Jun 11, 1978Danny Thomas Memphis Classic−11 (70-68-69-70=277)Playoff Lee Trevino4Jul 2, 1978Western Open−6 (70-71-75-66=282)Playoff Bill Rogers5Jun 10, 1979Atlanta Classic−23 (70-67-61-67=265)8 strokes Joe Inman6Feb 10, 1980Hawaiian Open−22 (71-63-66-66=266)3 strokes Lee Trevino7Mar 1, 1981Bay Hill Classic−18 (68-62-67-69=266)7 strokes Tom Watson8Feb 28, 1982Doral-Eastern Open (2)−10 (68-69-72-69=278)1 stroke Scott Hoch, Mike Nicolette, Jerry Pate9Apr 8, 1984Greater Greensboro Open−8 (71-67-72-70=280)2 strokes George Archer10Mar 9, 1986Doral-Eastern Open (3)−12 (71-68-68-69=276)Playoff Hubert Green11May 11, 1986Byron Nelson Golf Classic−11 (66-68-67-68=269)1 stroke Mark Wiebe

PGA Tour playoff record (3–3) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result11978Danny Thomas Memphis Classic Lee TrevinoWon with birdie on first extra hole 21978Western Open Bill RogersWon with par on first extra hole31979Bing Crosby National Pro-Am Mark Hayes, Lon HinkleHinkle won with birdie on third extra holeBean eliminated by par on second hole41984Honda Classic Bruce LietzkeLost to par on first extra hole51984 Memorial Tournament Jack NicklausLost to par on third extra hole61986Doral-Eastern Open Hubert GreenWon with birdie on fourth extra hole

PGA of Japan Tour wins (2) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up1Nov 26, 1978Dunlop Phoenix Tournament−13 (67-70-69-69=275)5 strokes Graham Marsh2Nov 1, 1987ABC Japan-U.S. Match−19 (64-72-68-65=269)5 strokes Masahiro Kuramoto

Other wins (2) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up1Nov 15, 1986Isuzu Kapalua International−10 (72-68-68-70=278)2 strokes Davis Love III2Nov 14, 1987Isuzu 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.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up1Oct 1, 2006Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn−15 (63-70-68=201)Playoff R. W. Eaks2May 18, 2008 Regions Charity Classic−13 (65-68-70=203)1 stroke Loren Roberts3Nov 2, 2008Charles Schwab Cup Championship−20 (68-66-68-66=268)9 strokes Gene Jones

Champions Tour playoff record (1–0) No.YearTournamentOpponentResult12006Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn R. W. EaksWon with birdie on first extra hole

Results in major championships Tournament1973197419751976197719781979Masters TournamentT19T24T28U.S. OpenCUTT63T23T6T25The Open ChampionshipT48PGA ChampionshipCUTT7T12 Tournament1980198119821983198419851986198719881989Masters TournamentT12CUTT10CUTT18T25CUTT35CUT51U.S. OpenCUTWDT34T11T15T24CUTT12CUTThe Open ChampionshipT6T2T14T35T14T40T16CUTPGA Championship2CUTT30T16T3T53T65CUTT2 Tournament19901991199219931994199519961997199819992000Masters TournamentT33U.S. OpenCUTCUTThe Open ChampionshipPGA ChampionshipCUTCUT

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 madeMasters Tournament 0 0 0 0 1 6 14 10U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 1 7 16 9The Open Championship 0 1 0 1 2 5 9 8PGA Championship 0 2 1 3 4 6 14 9Totals 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 Tournament1977197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992The Players ChampionshipCUTT288T51WDT35CUTCUTCUTT21CUTT36T8T9CUTCUT

CUT = missed the halfway cut WD = withdrew "T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances Ryder Cup: 1979 (winners), 1987

Andy Bean (golfer)

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