Frank Beard (golfer)

Frank Beard
Personal information
Full name	Joseph Franklin Beard
Born	(1939-05-01) May 1, 1939 (age 86) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 13 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Career
College	University of Florida
Turned professional	1962
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions Tour
Professional wins	14
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	11
PGA Tour Champions	1
Other	2
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T5: 1968
PGA Championship	T6: 1968
U.S. Open	3rd/T3: 1965, 1975
The Open Championship	T19: 1972
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour money list winner 1969

Joseph Franklin Beard (born May 1, 1939) is an American former professional golfer who was a member of the PGA Tour and Champions Tour. Beard won eleven PGA Tour events.

Early life

Beard was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky, ^[1] and won the Kentucky state high school golf championship as a senior in 1957.

Amateur career

Beard attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Conrad Rehling's Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1958 to 1961. ^[2] He was recognized as an All-American in 1960 and 1961. ^[3] He graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in accounting in 1961.

Professional career

Beard turned professional in 1962. He topped the PGA Tour money list in 1969 with earnings of $175,223. ^[4] He has eleven wins on the tour including victories in the Tournament of Champions in 1967 and 1970. He was a member of the U.S. team in the Ryder Cup in 1969 and 1971 and had a 2–3–3 win–loss–half record. His best finishes in a major tournament were a third-place finish and a tie for third in the 1965 and 1975 U.S. Opens. After turning 50 years old, he played on the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour), where he won the 1990 Murata Reunion Pro-Am.

Beard has also worked as a golf commentator on ESPN.

Awards and honors

• In 1969, Beard was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great." ^[5]
• In 1969, Beard won the PGA Tour money list
• In 1986, Beard was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. ^[6]

Professional wins (14)

PGA Tour wins (11)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Nov 10, 1963	Frank Sinatra Open Invitational	−6 (68-72-69-69=278)	1 stroke	Jerry Steelsmith
2	Apr 25, 1965	Texas Open Invitational	−10 (70-67-65-68=270)	3 strokes	Gardner Dickinson
3	May 16, 1966	Greater New Orleans Open Invitational	−12 (68-71-70-67=276)	2 strokes	Gardner Dickinson
4	Apr 16, 1967	Tournament of Champions	−6 (65-68-74-71=278)	1 stroke	Arnold Palmer
5	May 7, 1967	Houston Champions International	−10 (67-70-70-67=274)	1 stroke	Arnold Palmer
6	Jul 9, 1967	500 Festival Open Invitation	−9 (70-71-69-69=279)	3 strokes	Rod Funseth, Rives McBee
7	Jul 13, 1969	Minnesota Golf Classic	−15 (69-67-67-66=269)	7 strokes	Tommy Aaron, Hugh Inggs
8	Aug 3, 1969	Westchester Classic	−13 (69-72-67-67=275)	1 stroke	Bert Greene
9	Apr 26, 1970	Tournament of Champions (2)	−15 (70-64-68-71=273)	7 strokes	Billy Casper, Tony Jacklin, Gary Player
10	Aug 9, 1970	American Golf Classic	−4 (73-65-67-71=276)	2 strokes	Tommy Aaron, Bruce Crampton, Jack Nicklaus
11	May 2, 1971	Greater New Orleans Open Invitational	−12 (70-71-67-68=276)	1 stroke	Hubert Green

PGA Tour playoff record (0–3)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1968	American Golf Classic	Lee Elder, Jack Nicklaus	Nicklaus won with birdie on fifth extra hole Beard eliminated by birdie on first hole
2	1969	Greater New Orleans Open	Larry Hinson	Lost to par on third extra hole
3	1974	World Open Golf Championship	Johnny Miller, Bob Murphy, Jack Nicklaus	Miller won with birdie on second extra hole Murphy eliminated by par on first hole

Other wins (2)

• 1964 Kentucky Open
• 1967 Waterloo Open Golf Classic

Senior PGA Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Apr 29, 1990	Murata Reunion Pro-Am	−9 (66-67-74=207)	2 strokes	Walt Zembriski

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	1989	Northville Long Island Classic	Butch Baird, Don Bies, Orville Moody	Baird won with birdie on first extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976
Masters Tournament		T8	T22	T26	T5	T19	9	T9	T41	T24	T22	CUT	T43
U.S. Open	CUT	3	T17	T54	T52	T50	T22	CUT	CUT	T25	T12	T3	CUT
The Open Championship								CUT	T19
PGA Championship	T33	T45	11	T7	T6	10	T55	T13	T53	T46	T11	CUT

  Top 10

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"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	1	4	8	12	11
U.S. Open	0	0	2	2	2	6	13	9
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	1
PGA Championship	0	0	0	0	3	6	12	11
Totals	0	0	2	3	9	21	39	32

• Most consecutive cuts made – 20 (1964 PGA – 1971 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (three times)

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

• Ryder Cup: 1969 (tie, cup retained), 1971 (winners)

See also

• Biography portal

• List of American Ryder Cup golfers
• List of Florida Gators men's golfers on the PGA Tour
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members

References

1. "Saint Xavier High School: Outstanding Alumni". Archived from the original on July 18, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
2. "Florida Men's Golf 2013–14 Media Supplement" (PDF). Gainesville, Florida: University Athletic Association. pp. 39, 41. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
3. "2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide" (PDF). Gainesville, Florida: University Athletic Association. 2008. p. 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
4. "Beard earns golf's top pay". The Telegraph-Herald. Associated Press. December 9, 1969. p. 16.
5. "Gator Greats". F Club, Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
6. "Inductees". Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2011.

External links

• Frank Beard at the PGA Tour official site