Frank Beard (golfer)
Joseph Franklin Beard is an American former professional golfer who was a member of the PGA Tour and Champions Tour. Beard won eleven PGA Tour events.
Early years
Beard was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky, 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 competition from 1958 to 1961. He was recognized as an All-American in 1960 and 1961. 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."Professional career
Beard turned professional in 1962. He topped the PGA Tour money list in 1969 with earnings of $175,223. 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, 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.
Professional wins (14)
PGA Tour wins (11)
PGA Tour playoff record| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | 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)
- 1964 Kentucky Open
- 1967 Waterloo Open Golf Classic
Senior PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
| 1 | 1989 | Northville Long Island Classic | Butch Baird, Don Bies, Orville Moody | Baird won with birdie on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
CUT = missed the half-way cut"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
- Most consecutive cuts made – 20
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2
U.S. national team appearances
- Ryder Cup: 1969, 1971