Deane Beman | |
---|---|
— Golfer — | |
Personal information | |
Full name | Deane R. Beman |
Born |
Washington, D.C. |
April 22, 1938
Height | 5 ft 7.5 in (1.71 m) |
Weight | 150 lb (68 kg; 11 st) |
Nationality | United States |
Career | |
College | University of Maryland |
Turned professional | 1967 |
Former tour(s) |
PGA Tour Champions Tour |
Professional wins | 6 |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 4 |
Other | 2 |
Best results in major championships |
|
Masters Tournament | T19: 1969 |
U.S. Open | T2: 1969 |
The Open Championship | T13: 1967 |
PGA Championship | T36: 1972 |
U.S. Amateur | Won: 1960, 1963 |
British Amateur | Won: 1959 |
Achievements and awards | |
World Golf Hall of Fame | 2000 (member page) |
PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award |
2007 |
Deane R. Beman (born April 22, 1938) is an American professional golfer, golf administrator, and golf course architect.
Beman was born in Washington, D.C. and attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was a two-time All-American on the varsity golf team.
Following graduation, Beman had a career in the insurance field. During his golf career, Beman qualified for his first U.S. Open at age 17 in 1955. He qualified for the Masters Tournament 14 times. He won the U.S. Amateur twice and the British Amateur once. He also lost a playoff to Gary Cowan for the 1966 U.S. Amateur.
Beman turned professional in 1967 at age 29 and won four times on the PGA Tour between 1969 and 1973. Beman led for two rounds at the 1969 U.S. Open and finished one shot out of a playoff. He was a short hitter by top-class standards, with an outstanding short game, and was renowned as one of the best putters in the world. Injuries curtailed his playing career. He retired as a player and closed his business practice to become Commissioner because he believed he could contribute more to the sport as a commissioner than he ever could as a player.
Beman was the second commissioner of the PGA Tour, serving from 1974 to 1994. He introduced The Players Championship concept during this time, and developed the Tournament Players Club network of courses around the United States, along with Tour-branded clothing, expanding the Tour's financial clout. He converted the Tour into a 501-c6 organization, one of several moves that would transform the Tour's financial fortunes. He introduced pension plans for Tour players.