Bean, 11-time Tour winner, dies after recent lung surgery
Andy Bean, an 11-time PGA Tour winner, has died, the PGA Tour confirmed on Saturday. He was 70.
Born March 13, 1953, in LaFayette, Georgia, Bean was a standout collegian at the University of Florida, winning the 1973 team NCAA Championship and earning All-America honors three times. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978.
Bean turned professional in 1975 and earned his first Tour title two years later at the Doral-Eastern Open. He won three times in ’78 and then won at least once in six of the next eight seasons, his last title coming in the 1986 Byron Nelson Golf Classic.
Golf lost a good one. Andy Bean passed away at 70. Gentle giant, Bermuda grass specialist with 4 of his 11 Ws in FL. Gator legend. Man of great faith, generous heart, loved fishing and family. Condolences to wife Debbie, their three children and all the grandkids.
— Rich Lerner (@RichLernerGC) October 14, 2023
Bean also had three wins on the PGA Tour Champions, including the 2008 Charles Schwab Cup Championship at age 55, and was a member of the 1979 and ’87 U.S. Ryder Cup teams.
It was reported last month that Bean had undergone double lung replacement surgery after a battle with COVID-19. The Tour confirmed that he passed away in his hometown of Lakeland, Florida, following a six-week fight to recover. Bean is survived by his wife, Debbie, his three daughter and his two grandchildren.