Quick Facts
CancerBiography
Susie Maxwell Berning (born July 22, 1941) is a retired American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1964 and won four major championships and eleven LPGA Tour victories in all. She also competed under her maiden name Susie Maxwell from 1964 to 1968. She will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2021.
Amateur career
Maxwell was born in Pasadena, California. Her family moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma when she was 13. After taking up golf at the age of 15, she immediately won three-straight Oklahoma State High School Championships. She also won the Oklahoma City Women's Amateur from 1959 to 1961. In 1963, she won the Oklahoma Women's Amateur. She was the first woman to receive a golf scholarship from Oklahoma City University, where she competed on the men's team and she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.
Professional career
She turned pro and joined the LPGA Tour in 1964, and earned LPGA Rookie of the Year honors. She won her first tournament in 1965 at the Muskogee Civitan Open. She was named Most Improved Player for 1967. She won 11 times on the Tour, a high proportion of her wins coming in major championships, the 1965 Women's Western Open and the U.S. Women's Open in 1968, 1972 and 1973. However her form was inconsistent from her late twenties on, with the last of her three top-10 finishes on the money list coming in 1969. She stayed on the Tour for many years, though she did not always play full-time, and played 13 events as late as 1995. She made her final appearance on the Tour in 1996.
Since retiring from tour play, Berning has become a well-respected teaching professional spending time at the Nicholas-Flick Golf Academy, and now dividing her time between The Reserve Club in Palm Springs, California and Maroon Creek Country Club in Aspen, Colorado. She has two daughters, Robin Doctor and Cindy Molchany.
Professional wins (13)
LPGA Tour wins (11)
| Legend |
| LPGA Tour major championships (4) |
| Other LPGA Tour (7) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 16, 1965 | Muskogee Civitan Open | −3 (71-72-70=213) | 5 strokes | Kathy Cornelius Judy Kimball Mickey Wright |
| 2 | Jun 13, 1965 | Women's Western Open | −2 (73-72-76-69=290) | 3 strokes | Marlene Hagge |
| 3 | Apr 2, 1967 | Louise Suggs Invitational | +8 (75-72-77=224) | Playoff | Sandra Haynie |
| 4 | Jun 18, 1967 | Milwaukee Jaycee Open | E (68-73-75=216) | 5 strokes | Barbara Romack Judy Kimball Judy Rankin Peggy Wilson |
| 5 | Jul 7, 1968 | U.S. Women's Open | +5 (69-73-76-71=289) | 3 strokes | Mickey Wright |
| 6 | Jun 8, 1969 | Lady Carling Open | −6 (69-74-70=213) | 1 stroke | Donna Caponi |
| 7 | Jun 22, 1969 | Pabst Ladies Classic | −5 (69-71-71=211) | 1 stroke | Donna Caponi Clifford Ann Creed Shirley Englehorn |
| 8 | Jul 2, 1972 | U.S. Women's Open | +11 (79-76-73-71=299) | 1 stroke | Kathy Ahern Pam Barnett Judy Rankin |
| 9 | Jun 24, 1973 | Heritage Village Open | −12 (68-70-69=207) | 4 strokes | Sandra Haynie |
| 10 | Jul 22, 1973 | U.S. Women's Open | −3 (73-77-69-72=290) | 5 strokes | Gloria Ehret Shelley Hamlin |
| 11 | Jul 25, 1976 | Lady Keystone Open | −1 (72-71-72=215) | 3 strokes | Pat Bradley Sandra Haynie |
LPGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1966 | Lady Carling Open | Clifford Ann Creed | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1967 | Louise Suggs Invitational | Sandra Haynie | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
Other wins (2)
- 1975 Lady Keystone Open
- 1997 Sprint Senior Challenge
Major championships
Wins (4)
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Women's Western Open | −2 (73-72-76-69=290) | 3 strokes | Marlene Hagge |
| 1968 | U.S. Women's Open | +5 (69-73-76-71=289) | 3 strokes | Mickey Wright |
| 1972 | U.S. Women's Open | +11 (79-73-76-71=299) | 1 stroke | Kathy Ahern, Pam Barnett, Judy Rankin |
| 1973 | U.S. Women's Open | +2 (72-77-69-72=290) | 5 strokes | Gloria Ehret, Shelley Hamlin |