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Susie Maxwell Berning, LPGA pioneer and Hall of Famer, dies at 83
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Susie Maxwell Berning, LPGA pioneer and Hall of Famer, dies at 83

Susie Berning of the United States smiles as she holds the 1972 U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship Trophy at Winged Foot Golf Club, East Course in Mamaroneck, New York, on July 2, 1972. She finished with plus 11.

Susi’s Maxwell Bernings holds the US Women’s Open trophy in 1972.

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Susie Maxwell Berning, a four-time major winner and 2021 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee, died Wednesday at age 83 after a battle with lung cancer. Berning’s LPGA resume included a total of 11 titles, including three US Women’s Opens in six years.

Berning was a pioneer on several occasions. She won three consecutive golf championships at Oklahoma State High School and was the first woman to be offered a golf scholarship to Oklahoma City University, where she played on the men’s team. She was named LPGA Rookie of the Year in 1964 and won her first major tournament, the Western Open, in 1965, followed by the US Women’s Open in 1968, 1972 and 1973, making her one of only seven players to ever win back-to-back. Back Opens and one of only six players to have won three or more Opens.

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Berning was also revered as a pioneering working mother who competed while pregnant and cut back on her tournament schedule to make time for family life. She won her consecutive Opens after the birth of her daughter Robin and averaged fewer than 13 tournaments per year during her prime career years. Their daughter Cindy was born in 1977.

After retiring from full-time competitive sports, Berning began teaching, splitting her time between the Reserve Club in Palm Springs, California and Maroon Creek Country Club in Aspen, Colorado.

In 2021, Berning was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame alongside Tiger Woods, Tim Finchem and Marion Hollins.

“What sets her apart is her four majors, which she won while juggling family,” World Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2000 inductee Beth Daniels said in a 2021 press release. “In history “In golf, there have been very few women who have achieved this, and it shows women golfers that they can have a family and a career.” Nancy Lopez did it. Juli Inkster did it. But Susie Berning did it before them.”

As a four-year member of Columbia’s premier class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can outscore anyone on the masthead with a birdie. She can also outdo them in the office, where she is primarily responsible for producing print and online features and overseeing large special projects, such as GOLF’s first style issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her original interview series, “A “Round With,” debuted in November 2015 and has appeared in both magazine and video form on GOLF.com.

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