Susie Berning life and biography

Susie Maxwell Berning is an American professional golfer.

Major Championships:
4
• U.S. Women's Open: 1968, 1972, 1973
• Western Open: 1965

Awards and Honors:
• LPGA Rookie of the Year, 1964
• Member, Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
• Member, National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame

Berning was the first woman to receive a golf scholarship to Oklahoma City University, which didn't even have a women's team - she played for the men's team.

She turned pro and joined the LPGA Tour in 1964, earning Rookie of the Year honors, and competed through 1997.

Berning won "only" 11 tournaments in her career, which doesn't stack up to the greats of women's golf. However, four of those 11 wins were majors - and three of those four were U.S. Women's Open titles.

Her first major was the 1965 Western Open, then she won her first U.S. Women's Open in 1968. Berning went back-to-back at the 1972-73 Women's Open.

So why didn't she have more overall victories? A big reason is that Berning rarely played full seasons on the LPGA Tour. In only four years of her career did she play in at least 20 tournaments. Twice in her prime years (1968, 1970) she played fewer than 10 events, following the births of her two daughters. From 1970 to 1997, she played more than 15 tournaments only seven times, and several of those seasons were in the '90s, when she was well past her prime.

After retiring from the LPGA, Berning became a highly successful teaching professional, and also competed in seniors events.

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