Andy Bean


Thomas Andrew Bean is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
Bean has won numerous tournaments at both the amateur and professional level. Bean won 11 PGA Tour victories, including the 1986 Byron Nelson Golf Classic, and three wins on the Champions Tour, including a 9-stroke victory at the 2008 Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Early years

Bean was born in LaFayette, Georgia in 1953, 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.

College career

He attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he became a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and played for coach Buster Bishop's Florida Gators men's golf team from 1972 to 1975. 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 and NCAA Championships. He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 1973 and 1975, and an All-American in 1973, 1974 and 1975. 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.

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.
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.
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.

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)

PGA Tour wins (11)

PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11978Danny Thomas Memphis Classic Lee TrevinoWon with birdie on first extra hole
21978Western Open Bill RogersWon with par on first extra hole
31979Bing Crosby National Pro-Am Mark Hayes, Lon HinkleHinkle won with birdie on third extra hole
Bean eliminated with par on second hole
41984Honda Classic Bruce LietzkeLost to par on first extra hole
51984Memorial Tournament Jack NicklausLost to par on third extra hole
61986Doral-Eastern Open Hubert GreenWon with birdie on fourth extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (2)

Other wins (2)

Champions Tour wins (3)

Champions Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
12006Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn R. W. EaksWon with birdie on first extra hole

Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

CUT = missed the halfway cut

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place