Thomas Andrew Bean (born March 13, 1953) is an American professional golfer who previously played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. Bean has won numerous tournaments at both the amateur and professional level including eleven PGA Tour victories.
Early years
Bean was born in LaFayette, Georgia in 1953,[1] and raised in 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
He 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 and had a very successful career on the PGA Tour. He finished inside the top 35 on the money list from 1977 to 1986, a stretch that included 5 top-seven finishes on the list. 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 came close 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 years old in March 2003 Bean enjoyed a resurgence of his game 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
Bean lives in Lakeland, Florida, where he enjoys hunting and fishing. He and his wife Debbie have three grown daughters: Lauren, Lindsay, and Jordan.
Amateur wins (4)
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) |
4 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) |
7 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 |
−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 |
−14 (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)
Japan Golf Tour wins (2)
- 1978 Dunlop Phoenix
- 1987 ABC Japan-U.S. Match
Other wins (2)
- 1986 Isuzu Kapalua International
- 1987 Isuzu Kapalua International
Champions Tour wins (3)
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
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
Summary
- Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1983 U.S. Open – 1985 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1980 Open Championship – 1980 PGA)
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Andy Bean (2000)". Florida Sports Hall of Fame, Inductees. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Florida Men's Golf 2013 Media Supplement" (PDF). Gainesville, Florida: University Athletic Association. pp. 33, 36, 39, 41. 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. 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" (PDF). Official World Golf Ranking. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ↑ "Andy Bean". Golf Major Championships. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
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