{{short description|American professional golfer (1924–2014)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2013}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Beverly Hanson | image = | imagesize = <!-- Optional, default is 200px --> | caption = | fullname = <!-- if different --> | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1924|12|5}} | birth_place = Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2014|4|12|1924|12|5}} | death_place = Twin Falls, Idaho, U.S. | height = {{height|ft=5|in=8.5}} | nationality = {{USA}} | spouse = | partner = | children = | college = University of North Dakota<br>Mills College<br/>University of Wisconsin | yearpro = 1951 | extour = LPGA Tour | prowins = 19 | lpgawins = 17 | otherwins = 2 | majorwins = 3 | western = '''Won''': 1956 | titleholders = '''Won''': 1958 | nabisco = | lpga = '''Won''': 1955 | wusopen = 4th: 1952 | dumaurier = | wghofid = beverly-hanson | wghofyear =2023 | award1 = LPGA Tour<br>Money Winner | year1 = 1958 | award2 = LPGA Vare Trophy | year2 = 1958 | award3 = | year3 = }} '''Beverly Hanson''' (December 5, 1924 – April 12, 2014) was an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour.
Hanson was born in Fargo, North Dakota, in 1924.<ref name=who>{{cite book |last1=Elliott |first1=Len |first2=Barbara |last2=Kelly |title=Who's Who in Golf |year=1976 |publisher=Arlington House |location=New Rochelle, New York |isbn=0-87000-225-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/whoswhoingolf00elli/page/81 81–2] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoingolf00elli/page/81 }}</ref><ref name=lpga>[http://www.lpga.com/content/oldplayerbios/HansonBeverlyFinal.pdf LPGA Tour biography] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229080259/http://www.lpga.com/content/oldplayerbios/HansonBeverlyFinal.pdf |date=December 29, 2010 }}</ref> She studied at the University of North Dakota, Mills College in Oakland, California, and the University of Wisconsin<ref name=lpga/> and was a bassoon player, performing with civic orchestras. As an amateur golfer, she won the Texas Open in 1949 and both the California and Southern California ladies' championships. She was a member of the 1950 U.S. Curtis Cup golf team<ref name=who/> and that year won the U.S. Women's Amateur.<ref name=who/>
In 1951, Hanson turned professional and won the first event she competed in. She won the inaugural LPGA Championship in 1955,<ref name=who/> defeating Louise Suggs. In 1958 she was the leading money winner on the LPGA Tour.
Hanson had 17 career wins on the LPGA Tour<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lpga.com/content/All-timeWinnersList.pdf |title=LPGA All-Time Winners List |publisher=LPGA |access-date=2010-07-26 |archive-date=2010-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229053926/http://www.lpga.com/content/All-timeWinnersList.pdf}}</ref> of which three were majors. Besides the inaugural LPGA major title, in 1956 she won the Women's Western Open and in 1958 the Titleholders Championship.
Hanson died on April 12, 2014, in Twin Falls, Idaho, from complications from Alzheimer's and COPD.<ref name=lpga2>{{cite web |url=http://www.lpga.com/golf/news/2014/4/hanson-talented-pioneer.aspx |title=Hanson was colorful, talented LPGA Tour pioneer |publisher=LPGA |first=Neal |last=Reid |date=April 25, 2014 |access-date=April 25, 2014 |archive-date=April 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427232617/http://www.lpga.com/golf/news/2014/4/hanson-talented-pioneer.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/22/beverly-hanson-forgotten-pioneer-in-womens-golf/?page=1 |title=Beverly Hanson, forgotten pioneer in women's golf |newspaper=Washington Times |first=Doug |last=Ferguson |agency=Associated Press |date=April 22, 2014}}</ref>
Hanson was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2023 and inducted in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/35813789/padraig-harrington-lpga-founders-join-24-golf-hall-fame-class |title=Padraig Harrington, LPGA founders join '24 Golf Hall of Fame class |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=March 9, 2023}}</ref>
==Professional wins (18)== ===LPGA Tour wins (17)=== * 1950 (1) Women's Texas Open (as an amateur) * 1951 (1) Eastern Open * 1953 (1) Boca Raton Weathervane * 1954 (2) St. Petersburg Open, Wichita Open * 1955 (2) '''LPGA Championship''', Battle Creek Open * 1956 (1) '''Women's Western Open''' * 1957 (2) Smokey Open, Land of Sky Open * 1958 (2) '''Titleholders Championship''', Lawton Open * 1959 (4) Golden Triangle Festival, American Women's Open, Spokane Open, Links Invitation Open * 1960 (1) St. Petersburg Open
Source<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology50-59.pdf |title=LPGA Tournament Chronology 1950-1959 |publisher=LPGA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102110028/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology50-59.pdf |archive-date=January 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology60-69.pdf |title=LPGA Tournament Chronology 1960-1969 |publisher=LPGA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629124254/http://www.lpga.com/content/Chronology60-69.pdf |archive-date=June 29, 2011}}</ref>
===Other wins (1)=== * 1949 Women's Texas Open (as an amateur) * 1955 Hot Springs 4-Ball Invitational (with Kathy Cornelius)
==Major championships== ===Wins (3)=== {|class="wikitable" !Year!!Championship!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runner-up |-style="background:#D8BFD8;" | 1955 ||LPGA Championship ||colspan=2 align=center|4 & 3||{{flagicon|USA}} Louise Suggs |-style="background:#FFCC99;" | 1956 ||Women's Western Open ||E (75-81-72-76=304)||4 strokes||{{flagicon|USA}} Louise Suggs |-style="background:#FFFF99;" | 1958 ||Titleholders Championship ||+11 (72-80-73-74=299)||5 strokes||{{flagicon|USA}} Betty Dodd |}
==Team appearances== '''Amateur''' * Curtis Cup (representing the United States): 1950 (winners)
==See also== * List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins * List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{LPGA player|beverly-hanson/82802|archive=20160303235942}}
{{LPGA Champions}} {{Titleholders Champions}} {{Women's Western Open Champions}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, Beverly}} Category:American female golfers Category:LPGA Tour golfers Category:Winners of ladies' major amateur golf championships Category:Winners of LPGA major golf championships Category:Golfers from North Dakota Category:Golfers from Riverside County, California Category:Golfers from Idaho Category:University of North Dakota alumni Category:Sportspeople from Fargo, North Dakota Category:Sportspeople from Sun Valley, Idaho Category:1924 births Category:2014 deaths Category:21st-century American women Category:20th-century American sportswomen