Background
Bean was born in LaFayette, Georgia in 1953, and raised in Jekyll Island, Georgia, where his father was associated with a golf course. His family moved to Lakeland, Florida when he was 15, and his father bought a golf course there.
Bean was born in LaFayette, Georgia in 1953, and raised in Jekyll Island, Georgia, where his father was associated with a golf course. His family moved to Lakeland, Florida when he was 15, and his father bought a golf course there.
He attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he became a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity (Florida Upsilon Chapter) and played for coach Buster Bishop"s Florida Gators men"s golf team from 1972 to 1975. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor"s degree in marketing in 1975, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1978.
He was a first-team All-Securities and Exchange Commission selection in 1973 and 1975, and an All-American in 1973, 1974 and 1975. Bean turned professional in 1975 and had a very successful career on the Professional Golf Association Tour. He finished inside the top 35 on the money list from 1977 to 1986, a stretch that included 5 top-seven finishes on the list.
His first Professional Golf Association Tour victory was at the Doral-Eastern Open in 1977, and his last was at the Byron Nelson Golf Classic in 1986.
Bean played on the United States Ryder Cup team in 1979 and 1987 and spent several weeks ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings in 1986 and 1987. He had a solo second-place finish behind Jack Nicklaus at the 1980 Professional Golf Association Championship.
At the 1983 British Open, Bean and Hale Irwin finished tied for second, one stroke behind Tom Watson. And in the 1989 Professional Golf Association Championship Bean, Mike Reid and Curtis Strange tied for second, one stroke behind Payne Stewart.
In May 2008, he added a second Champions Tour title with a victory in the Regions Charity Classic.
Bean was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. Bean lives in Lakeland, Florida, where he enjoys hunting and fishing. 1974 Eastern Amateur, Falstaff Amateur Professional Golf Association Tour wins (11) Japan Golf Tour wins (2) Other wins (2) Champions Tour wins (3) DNP = Did not play World Development = Withdrew CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place Yellow background for top-10 Summary Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1983 United States Open – 1985 Professional Golf Association) Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1980 Open Championship – 1980 Professional Golf Association).