World Golf Hall of Famer Susie Maxwell Berning passes away at 83

Susie Maxwell Berning passed away at 83 on Wednesday, October 2nd, in Palm Springs, California, after battling lung cancer for around two years. She was a World Golf Hall of Famer, an 11-time LPGA Tour winner, and a four-time Major championship winner.

Maxwell Berning was well-known for her car license plate that said 3USOPEN, as she had won the US Women's Open thrice in her career.

The LPGA Tour Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan offered her condolences and said she was not just a fantastic player but also a wonderful ambassador for the LPGA Tour and women's sport overall.

"We will always point to her as a role model for balancing homelife and career, winning major championships while also raising a family. Susie was a strong, pioneering athlete who I have personally admired and whose legacy will continue to inspire future generations of athletes," Marcoux said in a press release.

The USGA CEO Mike Whan also offered his condolences in a press release and said her legacy will forever be a source of admiration and respect.

"When I reflect on the incredibly short list of golfers—male or female—who have claimed three U.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," Whan said.

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How did Susie Maxwell Berning get into golf?

Susie Maxwell Berning was a cowgirl as a teenager and had no exposure to golf. She said she once went to get back the horses that broke free from her family home in Oklahoma. She found the two horses in Lincoln Park on the local golf course and said they had damaged the greens a bit. The head pro, U.C. Ferguson, said he would forgive her if she taught his daughters to ride.

Susie Maxwell Berning after winning the 1972 U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship - Source: Getty

Eventually, she taught them while Ferguson kept pushing Berning to learn golf. After around a year, she attended Patty Berg's clinic and was instantly hooked to the game.

Berning won three Oklahoma State High School titles and received a golf scholarship to Oklahoma City University. She turned pro after graduating and eventually joined the LPGA Tour in 1964.

In 1968, she got married to Dale Berning and, in the same year, won her first of the three US Women's Open. She continued her professional journey while raising two daughters and played on a limited schedule for a few years before retiring in 1994.

However, her love for the game led her to become a prominent golf instructor in Colorado and California.

"I always loved helping people. What I really want is for people to have a love of the game as much as I do for them to understand how much pleasure you get from the game. And that’s why I enjoy teaching," Berning said (via Golf Digest).