Mark O'Meara explained

Mark O'Meara
Fullname:Mark Francis O'Meara
Birth Date:13 January 1957
Birth Place:Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Weight:195lb
Residence:Southern Highlands, Nevada, U.S.
Spouse:
Meredith O'Meara
Children:3
College:Long Beach State University
Yearpro:1980
Tour:PGA Tour Champions
Extour:PGA Tour
Prowins:34
Pgawins:16
Eurowins:5
Japwins:2
Auswins:1
Champwins:3
Otherwins:9
Majorwins:2
Masters:Won: 1998
Usopen:T3: 1988
Open:Won: 1998
Pga:T4: 1998
Wghofid:mark-omeara
Wghofyear:2015
Award1:PGA Tour
Player of the Year
Year1:1998
Award2:PGA Player of the Year
Year2:1998

Mark Francis O'Meara (born January 13, 1957) is an American professional golfer. He was a tournament winner on the PGA Tour and around the world from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. He spent nearly 200 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking from their debut in 1986 to 2000.[1] He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.[2]

Early years

O'Meara was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, but grew up in southern California, specifically in Mission Viejo. He took up golf at age 13, sneaking on to the nearby Mission Viejo Country Club. O'Meara later became an employee of the club and played on his high school golf team. He was an All-American at Long Beach State,[3] and won the U.S. Amateur in 1979, defeating defending champion John Cook, 8 and 7, in the final.[4] [5] [6] [7] He also won the California State Amateur Championship that year.

O'Meara was a former resident of Orlando, Florida and once lived in the same neighborhood as Tiger Woods. The two became good friends and frequently golfed together during this time. Today, O'Meara resides in Southern Highlands, Nevada.[8]

Professional career

After graduating with a degree in marketing in 1980, O'Meara turned professional and would win 16 events on the PGA Tour, beginning with the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1984, and the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am five times. His best year as a professional golfer came relatively late in his career – in 1998 at age 41 – when he won two majors: The Masters and the British Open. O'Meara's victory in The Masters came during his 15th attempt. O'Meara attributed this resurgence partly to the inspiration of working with Tiger Woods, the new superstar of the game at the time, with whom O'Meara had become good friends.[9] In the same year, he won the Cisco World Match Play Championship and reached a career best of second in the Official World Golf Ranking.

O'Meara is known for competing outside the United States more often than most leading American golfers, and has won tournaments in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. A man with a genial demeanor, he is one of the most popular figures in international golf. In the new millennium his form took a downturn and he began to struggle with injuries, but in 2004 he won an official tour event for the first time since 1998, taking the Dubai Desert Classic title, which despite being played in the Middle East is a European Tour event.

After the European Tour tournament Lancome Trophy at Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, 30 km west of Paris, France in September 1997, which was won by O'Meara, he was involved in a controversy. Runner-up was Jarmo Sandelin of Sweden. A television viewer in Sweden observed that, on the 15th green in the final round, O'Meara, facing a two and a half foot putt, had replaced his ball half an inch closer to the hole than had been indicated by his marker. Sandelin wrote to O'Meara in March 1998, sent a video recording of the incident and asked for an explanation. O'Meara insisted he had not intended to gain any advantage and sought advice from the PGA and European Tours, who informed him that the tournament was over and the result stood. Sandelin went public with the story and demanded that O'Meara should hand back the trophy and the prize money.[10] O'Meara admitted in April 1998, he may, without intention, have broken the rules of golf on his way to winning the 1997 Lancome Trophy.[11]

Champions Tour

In 2007, O'Meara began play on the Champions Tour; he had many top-10 finishes in his first three seasons including several runner-up finishes, but no wins. In 2010, he broke through with a win in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf with Nick Price, followed by his first senior major victory in the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship. O'Meara was sidelined by a rib injury for several months starting in April 2012; he missed the majors on both tours and did not compete until August.[12] [13]

O'Meara has begun to develop a golf course design practice and enjoys fishing in his off time. He is currently a brand ambassador for Pacific Links International. In March 2019, O'Meara won the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Arizona. He shot a final round seven-under 66, to win by four shots. This win ended an eight-year win drought on the PGA Tour Champions.

Awards and recognition

Following his two major wins in 1998, O'Meara received that year's BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, an award given to a non-British sportsperson considered to have made the most substantial contribution to a sport in a year.[14] He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.[2]

Amateur wins

Professional wins (34)

PGA Tour wins (16)

Legend
Major championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (14)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Sep 16, 1984Greater Milwaukee Open67-68-69-68=272−165 strokes Tom Watson
2Feb 3, 1985Bing Crosby National Pro-Am70-72-68-73=283−51 stroke Kikuo Arai, Larry Rinker,
Curtis Strange
3Feb 10, 1985Hawaiian Open67-66-65-69=267−211 stroke Craig Stadler
4Jan 29, 1989AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (2)66-68-73-70=277−111 stroke Tom Kite
5Feb 4, 1990AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (3)67-73-69-72=281−72 strokes Kenny Perry
6Oct 7, 1990H.E.B. Texas Open64-68-66-63=261−191 stroke Gary Hallberg
7Oct 19, 1991Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic66-66-71-64=267−211 stroke David Peoples
8Feb 2, 1992AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (4)69-68-68-70=275−13Playoff Jeff Sluman
9Mar 12, 1995Honda Classic68-65-71-71=275−91 stroke Nick Faldo
10Sep 10, 1995Bell Canadian Open72-67-68-67=274−14Playoff
11Jan 7, 1996Mercedes Championships68-69-66-68=271−173 strokes Nick Faldo, Scott Hoch
12Apr 28, 1996Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic75-68-62-69=274−142 strokes Duffy Waldorf
13Feb 2, 1997AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (5)67-67-67-67=268−201 stroke David Duval, Tiger Woods
14Feb 9, 1997Buick Invitational67-66-71-71=275−13 2 strokes David Ogrin, Donnie Hammond,
Jesper Parnevik, Craig Stadler,
Lee Janzen, Mike Hulbert,
Duffy Waldorf
15Apr 12, 1998Masters Tournament74-70-68-67=279−91 stroke Fred Couples, David Duval
16Jul 19, 1998The Open Championship72-68-72-68=280EPlayoff Brian Watts

PGA Tour playoff record (3–4)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
11981Tallahassee Open Dave Eichelberger, Bob MurphyEichelberger won with birdie on first extra hole
21983Phoenix Open Rex Caldwell, Bob Gilder,
Johnny Miller
Gilder won with birdie on eighth extra hole
Miller and O'Meara eliminated by birdie on second hole
31991Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Corey PavinLost to birdie on first extra hole
41992Bob Hope Chrysler Classic John Cook, Rick Fehr,
Tom Kite, Gene Sauers
Cook won with eagle on fourth extra hole
Fehr eliminated by birdie on second hole
Kite and O'Meara eliminated by birdie on first hole
51992AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Jeff SlumanWon with par on first extra hole
61995Bell Canadian Open Bob LohrWon with par on first extra hole
71998The Open Championship Brian WattsWon four-hole aggregate playoff;
O'Meara: −1 (4-4-5-4=17),
Watts: +1 (5-4-5-5=19)

European Tour wins (5)

Legend
Major championships (2)
Other European Tour (3)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Aug 23, 1987Lawrence Batley International71-64-70-66=271−173 strokes Carl Mason
2Sep 14, 1997Trophée Lancôme69-67-66-69=271−131 stroke Jarmo Sandelin
3Apr 12, 1998Masters Tournament74-70-68-67=279−91 stroke Fred Couples, David Duval
4Jul 19, 1998The Open Championship72-68-72-68=280EPlayoff Brian Watts
5Mar 7, 2004Dubai Desert Classic70-64-68-69=271−171 stroke Paul McGinley

European Tour playoff record (1–0)

PGA of Japan Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1May 12, 1985Fujisankei Classic67-67-66-73=273−113 strokes Masashi Ozaki
2Oct 4, 1992Tokai Classic66-68-72-71=277−111 stroke Tom Kite

South American Tour wins (1)

Other wins (8)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Nov 16, 1985Isuzu Kapalua International67-70-70-68=275−13Playoff Corey Pavin
2Nov 19, 1989RMCC Invitational
(with Curtis Strange)
66-62-62=190−266 strokes Bernhard Langer and John Mahaffey,
Lanny Wadkins and Tom Weiskopf
3Aug 23, 1994Fred Meyer Challenge
(with John Cook)
63-62=125−17Playoff Ben Crenshaw and Phil Mickelson
4Oct 18, 1998Cisco World Match Play Championship1 up Tiger Woods
5Nov 29, 1998Skins Game$405,000$10,000 Tom Lehman
6Nov 21, 1999World Cup of Golf
(with Tiger Woods)
140-133-130-142=545−235 strokesSantiago Luna and Miguel Ángel Martín
7Aug 8, 2000Fred Meyer Challenge (2)
(with John Cook)
64-61=125−19Playoff David Frost and Jim Furyk
8Dec 1, 2002Skins Game (2)$405,000$105,000 Phil Mickelson

Other playoff record (3–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
11985Isuzu Kapalua International Corey PavinWon with birdie on third extra hole
21994Fred Meyer Challenge
(with John Cook)
Ben Crenshaw and Phil MickelsonWon with par on second extra hole
32000Fred Meyer Challenge
(with John Cook)
David Frost and Jim FurykWon with birdie on first extra hole

PGA Tour Champions wins (3)

Legend
PGA Tour Champions major championships (1)
Other Champions Tour (2)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Apr 25, 2010Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf
(with Nick Price)
62-64-62=188−28Playoff
2Oct 10, 2010Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship68-68-69-68=273−7Playoff Michael Allen
3Mar 3, 2019Cologuard Classic66-70-66=202−174 strokes Darren Clarke, Scott McCarron,
Kirk Triplett, Willie Wood

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (2–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
12010Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf
(with Nick Price)
Won with par on second extra hole
22010Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship Michael AllenWon with par on first extra hole
32011Songdo IBD Championship Jay Don Blake, John Cook,
Peter Senior
Blake won with birdie on fifth extra hole
O'Meara and Senior eliminated by par on third hole
42012Boeing Classic Jay Don BlakeLost to birdie on second extra hole

Major championships

Wins (2)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreTo parMarginRunner(s)-up
2 shot deficit 74-70-68-67=279−9 1 stroke Fred Couples, David Duval
2 shot deficit 72-68-72-68=280 E Playoff1 Brian Watts
1Defeated Brian Watts in 4-hole playoff: O'Meara (4-4-5-4=17), Watts (5-4-5-5=19)

Results timeline

Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters TournamentCUT2448T24T39T11
U.S. OpenCUTCUT58T7T15T41CUTT3CUT
The Open ChampionshipT47T3T43T6627T42
PGA ChampionshipT70CUTT25T28CUTCUTT9CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters TournamentCUTT27T4T21T15T31T18T301T31
U.S. OpenCUTCUTCUTCUTCUTT16T36T32CUT
The Open ChampionshipT48T3T12CUTT49T33T381CUT
PGA ChampionshipT19CUTCUTCUTT6T26T13T4T57
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters TournamentCUTT20CUTT8T27T31CUTCUTCUTCUT
U.S. OpenT51CUTT18T35CUT
The Open ChampionshipT26T42T22T65T30CUTT63T60CUTT70
PGA ChampionshipT46T22CUTCUTCUT
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Masters TournamentCUTCUTCUTCUTT22CUTCUTCUT
U.S. Open
The Open ChampionshipCUTCUTT58T78T63CUT
PGA Championship
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
1 0 0 2 3 11 34 19
0 0 1 1 2 5 23 11
1 0 2 3 3 5 31 24
PGA Championship 0 0 0 1 3 7 22 12
Totals 2 0 3 7 11 28 110 66

Results in The Players Championship

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament199920002001200220032004
Match PlayR64R32
ChampionshipNT1
InvitationalT25T27T72
1Cancelled due to 9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
WD = Withdrew
NT = No tournament

Senior major championships

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2022.

Tournament 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
The TraditionT14T31T11T38T12T36T35T38T17T40T13NT72T54
Senior PGA ChampionshipT12T24T144T184T45T14T46T38NTT57
U.S. Senior OpenT11CUTT6CUT219T38WDCUTCUTCUTT38NTT52T41T51
Senior Players ChampionshipT31T32T915T39T6WDT3670T72WD66
Senior British Open ChampionshipT2T34T25T39T26WDT18NT
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

1985, 1986, 1987, 1996 (winners), 1997, 1998, 1999

1985, 1989 (tie), 1991 (winners), 1997, 1999 (winners)

1985 (winners)

1996 (winners), 1998

1999 (winners)

2001 (winners), 2002 (winners), 2003 (tie)

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking . Official World Golf Ranking . January 14, 2013.
  2. Web site: Class of 2015 Hall of Famers receive surprise calls . PGA Tour . October 15, 2014 . Mike . McAllister.
  3. Web site: O'Meara Comes Home For Toshiba Classic . Long Beach State.com . Chris . Foster . March 9, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928064843/http://www.longbeachstate.com/local/sid/features0607/omeara030807.htm . September 28, 2007.
  4. News: Ohio State's Cook makes Am finals . Toledo Blade . (Ohio) . Associated Press . September 2, 1979 . 5C.
  5. News: O'Meara dethrones Cook, easily wins U.S. Amateur . Toledo Blade . (Ohio) . Associated Press . September 3, 1979 . 32.
  6. Web site: U.S. Amateur Results: 1895 to Present . USGA . February 15, 2020 . April 18, 2020.
  7. Web site: Mark O'Meara: U.S. Amateur Victory Provided Crucial Confidence . USGA . August 18, 2015 . David . Chmiel . August 3, 2017.
  8. News: Golf champ Mark O'Meara buys Southern Highlands home . Las Vegas Review-Journal . June 5, 2020 . Buck . Wargo.
  9. http://www.outbackproam.com/pr_mark_omeara_070215.asp An Interview with: Mark O'Meara
  10. News: Golf: First Night - Jarmo Sandelin: The maverick of the fairways Europe's newest Ryder Cup player will test the team ethic . Tim . Glover . Independent . 20 June 1999.
  11. News: O'Meara admits to possible misplacing . The Irish Times . 30 April 1998.
  12. News: O'Meara withdraws from Masters before 1st round . April 5, 2012 . July 10, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120407232535/http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/news?slug=ap-masters-omearaout . April 7, 2012.
  13. News: Former champ Mark O'Meara to miss British Open . July 10, 2012.
  14. News: Owen nets BBC sports award. 14 December 1998. BBC. August 15, 2023.