Beth Daniel


Beth Daniel is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1979 and won 33 LPGA Tour events, including one major championship, during her career. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Amateur career

Daniel was born in Charleston, South Carolina. She played her collegiate golf at Furman University, and was on the 1976 national championship team that included future LPGA players Betsy King, Sherri Turner and Cindy Ferro. In 1977, she won the Broderick Award as the nation's best female collegiate golfer. Daniel won the U.S. Women's Amateur in 1975 and 1977, the Women's Western Amateur in 1978, and was on the U.S. Curtis Cup teams in 1976 and 1978. She turned pro at the end of 1978 and joined the LPGA Tour in 1979.

Professional career

Daniel's first victory came in 1979 year at the Patty Berg Classic, and she went on to win the LPGA Rookie of the Year award. Over the next five years, when Nancy Lopez was at her most dominant, Daniel still managed to win 13 tournaments, including four in 1980 when she was named LPGA Tour Player of the Year. Daniel led the Tour in wins in 1982, 1990 and 1994. She also led in scoring three times, including in 1989 when she became the second golfer in Tour history to record a scoring average below 71.00.
The year 1990 was her most successful on tour. She won seven times, including her lone major at the Mazda LPGA Championship. That year she was also named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. Along the way, Daniel endured two major slumps. She was winless from 1986 to 1988 and again from 1996 to 2002. When she finally won again in 2003, she became - at age 46 years, 8 months and 29 days - the oldest winner in Tour history. She had outlasted most of her contemporaries such as King, Patty Sheehan and Amy Alcott, remaining competitive on the LPGA Tour.
She won the Golf Writers Association of America Female Player of the Year in 1980 and 1990. She also won the 1981 Seagrams Seven Crowns of Sport Award for women’s golf. She was inducted into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame in September 1995. She was recognized during the LPGA’s 50th Anniversary in 2000 as one of the LPGA’s top-50 players and teachers.
Daniel played on eight U.S. Solheim Cup teams.
By 2005 she had cut back her schedule, and played just five events by 2007. That year she also served as assistant captain on the U.S. Solheim Cup team, and was named captain for the American squad in 2009. In 2007, she joined the Golf Channel as a substitute analyst for LPGA Tournament coverage. Her first event was the 2007 Safeway Classic.
Daniel also awards the best junior female golfer in South Carolina with the Beth Daniel Award. The award is given to the player with the most SCJGA points in a year.
In 2009, Daniel was the captain of the U.S. Solheim Cup team that defeated Europe by a score of 16-12 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois.

Professional wins (41)

LPGA Tour wins (33)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Aug 26, 1979Patty Berg Classic−11 4 strokes Hollis Stacy
2Jun 1, 1980Golden Lights Championship−1 2 strokes Nancy Lopez
Jo Ann Washam
3Aug 17, 1980Patty Berg Golf Classic−9 2 strokes Hollis Stacy
4Aug 24, 1980Columbia Savings LPGA Classic−12 6 strokes Jane Blalock
Sandra Post
5Sep 7, 1980World Series of Women's Golf−6 1 stroke Nancy Lopez
6Apr 19, 1981Florida Lady Citrus−7 Playoff Donna Caponi
Cindy Hill
Patti Rizzo
Patty Sheehan
7Aug 23, 1981World Championship of Women's Golf−4 1 stroke Jan Stephenson
8Feb 21, 1982Bent Tree Ladies Classic−12 4 strokes Amy Alcott
9Mar 7, 1982American Express Sun City Classic−10 Playoff Carole Jo Kabler
10May 2, 1982Birmingham Classic−13 4 strokes Patty Sheehan
11Aug 1, 1982Columbia Savings Classic−12 2 strokes Patty Sheehan
12Aug 15, 1982WUI Classic−12 8 strokes Martha Nause
Ayako Okamoto
13Jul 17, 1983McDonald's Kids Classic−2 Playoff JoAnne Carner
14Apr 14, 1985Kyocera Inamori Classic−2 2 strokes Pat Meyers
15Aug 6, 1989Greater Washington Open−8 4 strokes Sherri Turner
16Sep 4, 1989Rail Charity Golf Classic−13 3 strokes Betsy King
Alice Ritzman
17Sep 17, 1989Safeco Classic−15 1 stroke Pat Bradley
19Feb 24, 1990Orix Hawaiian Ladies Open−6 3 strokes Amy Benz
Patty Sheehan
20Mar 4, 1990Women's Kemper Open−1 1 stroke Laura Davies
Rosie Jones
21Jul 23, 1990The Phar-Mor in Youngstown−9 Playoff Patty Sheehan
22Jul 29 1990Mazda LPGA Championship−4 1 stroke Rosie Jones
23Aug 26, 1990Northgate Classic−13 6 strokes Penny Hammel
Christa Johnson
24Sep 3, 1990Rail Charity Golf Classic−13 3 strokes Susan Sanders
25Oct 7, 1990Centel Classic−17 1 stroke Nancy Lopez
26Feb 10, 1991The Phar-Mor at Inverrary−7 2 strokes Nancy Lopez
27Jul 23, 1991McDonald's Championship−11 4 strokes Pat Bradley
Sally Little
28May 29, 1994LPGA Corning Classic−10 1 stroke Stephanie Farwig
Nancy Ramsbottom
29Jun 5, 1994Oldsmobile Classic−20 4 strokes Lisa Kiggens
30Jul 17, 1994JAL Big Apple Classic−8 Playoff Laura Davies
31Oct 16, 1994World Championship of Women's Golf−14 3 strokes Elaine Crosby
32Aug 13, 1995PING/Welch's Championship −17 3 strokes Meg Mallon
Colleen Walker
33Jul 15, 2003BMO Financial Group Canadian Women's Open−13 1 stroke Juli Inkster

LPGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11981Florida Lady Citrus Donna Caponi
Cindy Hill
Patti Rizzo
Patty Sheehan		Won with birdie on second extra hole
Hill, Rizzo, and Sheehan eliminated with par on first hole
21982American Express Sun City Classic Carole Jo KablerWon with birdie on second extra hole
31983McDonald's Kids Classic JoAnne CarnerWon with birdie on first extra hole
41983Columbia Savings Classic Pat BradleyLost to birdie on first extra hole
51988Atlantic City LPGA Classic Juli InksterLost to par on first extra hole
61989Oldsmobile LPGA Classic Dottie MochrieLost to par on fifth extra hole
71990The Phar-Mor in Youngstown Patty SheehanWon with birdie on first extra hole
81991Northgate Computer Classic Jody Anschutz
Cindy Rarick		Rarick won with birdie on third extra hole
Anschutz eliminated with par on first hole
91992The Phar-Mor in Youngstown Donna Andrews
Betsy King
Meg Mallon		King won with birdie on first extra hole
101992Sun-Times Challenge Judy Dickinson
Dottie Pepper		Pepper won with par on sixth extra hole
Daniel eliminated with par on fourth hole
111994JAL Big Apple Classic Laura DaviesWon with birdie on first extra hole

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (4)

Wins (1)

Results timeline

^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
CUT = missed the half-way cut.
WD = withdrew
T = tied

Summary

Amateur
Professional