This story has been edited for clarity.
Susie Maxwell Berning, a 2021 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee who won three U.S. Women’s Opens, died Wednesday. She was 83.
Maxwell Berning won 11 times on the LPGA during her career, and she’s one of six women to win the U.S. Women’s Open at least three times, capturing the trophy in 1968, 1972 and 1973. She also won the Women’s Western Open in 1965 when it was considered a major championship.
The USGA confirmed Maxwell Berning’s passing in a release.
“Susie was a true trailblazer from the moment she picked up a golf club,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said in the release. “When I reflect on the incredibly short list of golfers – male or female – who have claimed three U.S. (Women’s) Open titles, alongside four major championships, it puts into perspective just how extraordinary her achievements were. Even more inspiring is the decision she made to step away from the competitive game to prioritize her family, a choice that resonates deeply with so many of us. Her legacy will forever be a source of admiration and respect.”
Born in Pasadena, California, on July 22, 1941, she spent her teenage years in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where her family rented a house across the street from a municipal golf facility, Lincoln Park, which remains open to this day.
In 1946, U.S. Women’s Open champion Patty Berg came to the course for a clinic, and that sparked Maxwell Berning’s interest in golf. She would go on to earn scholarship to Oklahoma City University, where she played on the men’s golf team. Two of her amateur rivals in Oklahoma, Beth Stone and Betsy Cullen, later joined the LPGA, and that inspired Maxwell Berning to turn pro.
In 1964, she was named LPGA’s Rookie of the Year. Four years later, she earned the first of her three U.S. Women’s Open titles. Her other two USWO wins came at Winged Foot Golf Club and the Country Club of Rochester.
In 1989, at the Konica San Jose Classic in California, Maxwell Berning and her daughter, Robin, became the first mother and daughter to compete in the same LPGA event. They did it again five years later at the Wegmans Rochester LPGA tourrnament.
After retiring from the LPGA in 1996, Maxwell Berning spent more than 20 years at The Reserve Club in Indian Wells, California, where she was made an honorary member.
She is survived by her two daughters, Robin Doctor and Cindy Molchany.
