Susie Berning


Susie Maxwell Berning is a retired American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1964 and won four major championships and eleven LPGA Tour victories in all. She also competed under her maiden name Susie Maxwell from 1964 to 1968. She will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2021.

Amateur career

Maxwell was born in Pasadena, California. Her family moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma when she was 13. After taking up golf at the age of 15, she immediately won three-straight Oklahoma State High School Championships. She also won the Oklahoma City Women's Amateur from 1959 to 1961. In 1963, she won the Oklahoma Women's Amateur. She was the first woman to receive a golf scholarship from Oklahoma City University, where she competed on the men's team and she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.

Professional career

She turned pro and joined the LPGA Tour in 1964, and earned LPGA Rookie of the Year honors. She won her first tournament in 1965 at the Muskogee Civitan Open. She was named Most Improved Player for 1967. She won 11 times on the Tour, a high proportion of her wins coming in major championships, the 1965 Women's Western Open and the U.S. Women's Open in 1968, 1972 and 1973. However her form was inconsistent from her late twenties on, with the last of her three top-10 finishes on the money list coming in 1969. She stayed on the Tour for many years, though she did not always play full-time, and played 13 events as late as 1995. She made her final appearance on the Tour in 1996.
Since retiring from tour play, Berning has become a well-respected teaching professional spending time at the Nicholas-Flick Golf Academy, and now dividing her time between The Reserve Club in Palm Springs, California and Maroon Creek Country Club in Aspen, Colorado. She has two daughters, Robin Doctor and Cindy Molchany.

Professional wins (13)

LPGA Tour wins (11)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of victoryRunner-up
1May 16, 1965Muskogee Civitan Open−3 5 strokes Kathy Cornelius
Judy Kimball
Mickey Wright
2Jun 13, 1965Women's Western Open−2 3 strokes Marlene Hagge
3Apr 2, 1967Louise Suggs Invitational+8 Playoff Sandra Haynie
4Jun 18, 1967Milwaukee Jaycee OpenE 5 strokes Barbara Romack
Judy Kimball
Judy Rankin
Peggy Wilson
5Jul 7, 1968U.S. Women's Open+5 3 strokes Mickey Wright
6Jun 8, 1969Lady Carling Open−6 1 stroke Donna Caponi
7Jun 22, 1969Pabst Ladies Classic−5 1 stroke Donna Caponi
Clifford Ann Creed
Shirley Englehorn
8Jul 2, 1972U.S. Women's Open+11 1 stroke Kathy Ahern
Pam Barnett
Judy Rankin
9Jun 24, 1973Heritage Village Open−12 4 strokes Sandra Haynie
10Jul 22, 1973U.S. Women's Open−3 5 strokes Gloria Ehret
Shelley Hamlin
11Jul 25, 1976Lady Keystone Open−1 3 strokes Pat Bradley
Sandra Haynie

LPGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11966Lady Carling Open Clifford Ann CreedLost to birdie on first extra hole
21967Louise Suggs Invitational Sandra HaynieWon with birdie on second extra hole

Other wins (2)

Wins (4)