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Susie Maxwell Berning

Susie Maxwell Berning

Hometown

Pasadena

California

Year Inducted

2022

Inducted Category

Competitor

Birthdate

Jul 22,1941

Major Championships: 4

U.S. Women’s Open: 1968, 1972, 1973
Western Open Championship: 1965

Additional LPGA Tour Wins: 11

1965: Muskogee Civitan Open
1967: Louise Suggs Invitational, Milwaukee Jaycee Open
1969: Lady Carling Open, Pabst Ladies Classic
1973: Heritage Village Open
1976: Lady Keystone Open

Awards & Honors:

LPGA Rookie of the Year: 1964

Maxwell Berning began playing golf at the age of 15 and won three-straight Oklahoma State High School Golf Championships. She was the first female to be offered a golf scholarship from Oklahoma City University and played on the men’s team.

After becoming an LPGA professional in 1964, Maxwell Berning earned the Rookie of the Year title. Throughout her career, she won 11 times including an impressive four Majors – the 1965 Women’s Western Open and the U.S. Women’s Open three times in 1968, 1972 and 1973 – all while balancing family life as a mother. She is one of only six women to win the U.S. Women’s Open three or more times.

“Quite an honor. Just to be in the same room as Mickey Wright, Kathy Whitworth, Judy Rankin and Patty Berg – I tell you I remember when I first was on the Tour, just how nice Patty Berg was to me and I was scared to death, as it was the first time I ever played with Mickey. To be honored alongside them is something I thought would never happen. I never even thought about it. I’m now part of their family, which makes me very proud.” -Susie Maxwell Berning

“Susie perfectly embodies what it means to be a Hall of Famer,” said former LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan. “She was a trailblazer from when she first picked up a club throughout her amateur career, and then made a big splash once she reached the LPGA Tour. I think about the short list of individuals – male or female – who have won three U.S. Open titles, let alone four Major Championships, and understand just how incredible that is. She also shortened her career when she made a decision to walk away to focus on family – something every female professional can empathize with and respect.”

Fact

Along with Juli Inkster, Nancy Lopez, and Catriona Matthew, Berning is one of only four women who have won a Major Championship on the LPGA Tour after becoming a mother.