# Frank Beard (golfer)

Joseph Franklin Beard (born May 1, 1939) 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 (NCAA) 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 (now the Champions Tour), where he won the 1990 Murata Reunion Pro-Am.
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)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Nov 10, 1963 | Frank Sinatra Open Invitational | −6 (68-72-69-69=278) | 1 stroke | Jerry Steelsmith |
| 2 | Apr 25, 1965 | Texas Open Invitational | −10 (70-67-65-68=270) | 3 strokes | Gardner Dickinson |
| 3 | May 16, 1966 | Greater New Orleans Open Invitational | −12 (68-71-70-67=276) | 2 strokes | Gardner Dickinson |
| 4 | Apr 16, 1967 | Tournament of Champions | −6 (65-68-74-71=278) | 1 stroke | Arnold Palmer |
| 5 | May 7, 1967 | Houston Champions International | −10 (67-70-70-67=274) | 1 stroke | Arnold Palmer |
| 6 | Jul 9, 1967 | 500 Festival Open Invitation | −9 (70-71-69-69=279) | 3 strokes | Rod Funseth, Rives McBee |
| 7 | Jul 13, 1969 | Minnesota Golf Classic | −15 (69-67-67-66=269) | 7 strokes | Tommy Aaron, Hugh Inggs |
| 8 | Aug 3, 1969 | Westchester Classic | −13 (69-72-67-67=275) | 1 stroke | Bert Greene |
| 9 | Apr 26, 1970 | Tournament of Champions (2) | −15 (70-64-68-71=273) | 7 strokes | Billy Casper, Tony Jacklin, Gary Player |
| 10 | Aug 9, 1970 | American Golf Classic | −4 (73-65-67-71=276) | 2 strokes | Tommy Aaron, Bruce Crampton, Jack Nicklaus |
| 11 | May 2, 1971 | Greater New Orleans Open Invitational | −12 (70-71-67-68=276) | 1 stroke | Hubert Green |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1968 | American Golf Classic | Lee Elder, Jack Nicklaus | Nicklaus won with birdie on fifth extra hole Beard eliminated by 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 by par on first hole |

### Other wins (2)

* 1964 Kentucky Open
* 1967 Waterloo Open Golf Classic

### Senior PGA Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Apr 29, 1990 | Murata Reunion Pro-Am | −9 (66-67-74=207) | 2 strokes | Walt Zembriski |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| 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

| Tournament | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 |
| Masters Tournament | | T8 | T22 | T26 | T5 | T19 | 9 | T9 | T41 | T24 | T22 | CUT | T43 |
| U.S. Open | CUT | 3 | T17 | T54 | T52 | T50 | T22 | CUT | CUT | T25 | T12 | T3 | CUT |
| The Open Championship | | | | | | | | CUT | T19 | | | | |
| PGA Championship | T33 | T45 | 11 | T7 | T6 | 10 | T55 | T13 | T53 | T46 | T11 | CUT | |
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

### Summary

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 11 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 11 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 21 | 39 | 32 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 20 (1964 PGA – 1971 Masters)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (three times)

## U.S. national team appearances
### Professional

* Ryder Cup: 1969 (tie, cup retained), 1971 (winners)