Frank Beard (golfer)

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.

Frank Beard
Personal information
Full nameJoseph Franklin Beard
Born (1939-05-01) May 1, 1939
Dallas, Texas
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight180 lb (82 kg; 13 st)
Nationality United States
Career
CollegeUniversity of Florida
Turned professional1962
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins14
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour11
PGA Tour Champions1
Other2
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT5: 1968
PGA ChampionshipT6: 1968
U.S. Open3rd/T3: 1965, 1975
The Open ChampionshipT19: 1972
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour
leading money winner		1969

Early years

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.

College career

He 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, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."[4]

Professional career

Beard turned professional in 1962. He topped the PGA Tour money list in 1969 with earnings of $175,223.[5] 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 is probably best known as the author of Pro, the story of his year on the tour in 1969. The book revealed many of the more mundane parts of life on the pro tour for the middle tier of golfers with families. Commentators called the book "humorous and insightful," showing the human side of the PGA Tour.

Beard has also worked as a golf commentator on ESPN. He was inducted as a member of the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.[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.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1968 American Golf Classic Lee Elder, Jack Nicklaus Nicklaus won with birdie on fifth extra hole
Beard eliminated with 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 with par on first hole

Other wins (2)

Senior PGA Tour wins (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin 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.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
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
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament0001481211
U.S. Open002226139
The Open Championship00000121
PGA Championship0000361211
Totals00239213932
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 20 (1964 PGA – 1971 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (three times)

U.S. national team appearances
Professional

See also

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. "Gator Greats". F Club, Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  5. "Beard earns golf's top pay". The Telegraph-Herald. Associated Press. December 9, 1969. p. 16.
  6. "Inductees". Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
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