Susie Maxwell Berning, LPGA pioneer and Hall of Famer, dies at 83

Susie Maxwell Berning, a four-time major winner and Inducted into the 2021 World Golf Hall of Famedied Wednesday at age 83 after a battle with lung cancer. Berning’s LPGA resume featured a total of 11 titles, which included three US Women’s Open in the span of six years.

Berning was a pioneer many times over. She won three Oklahoma state high school golf championships and was the first woman to be offered a golf scholarship from Oklahoma City University, where she played on the men’s team. She was named LPGA Rookie of the Year in 1964 and won her first major, the Western Open in 1965, followed by the US Women’s Open in 1968, 1972 and 1973, making her one of only seven female players to have won sometimes. back opens, and one of only six players to win three or more moves.

Berning was also honored as a pioneer working mothercompetitive during pregnancy and limiting her tour schedule to allow time for family life. She earned her doubles after giving birth to her daughter, Robin, and averaged fewer than 13 tournaments a year during the peak years of her career. Her daughter Cindy was born in 1977.

After retiring from full-time competitive play, Berning began teaching, splitting her time between Reserve Club in Palm Springs, Calif., and Maroon Creek Country Club in Aspen, Colo.

In 2021, Berning was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame along with Tiger Woods, Tim Finchem and Marion Hollins.

“The thing that makes her stand out is her four branches that she earned while juggling a family,” Beth Daniels, inducted into the World Hall of Fame Class of 2000, said in a 2021 press release. – is. “There are very few women in the history of golf who have been able to do that, and it lets female players know that they can have a family and a career. Nancy Lopez did it. Juli Inkster did it. But before them, Susie Berning did it.”

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As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural women’s varsity player class, Jessica can blow away anyone in the masthead. She can also drive them in the office, where she is primarily responsible for producing print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her series The original interview, “A Round With,” debuted in November 2015 and appeared in both magazine and video form on GOLF.com.