Mark Wilson (golfer) explained

Mark Wilson
Fullname:Mark Joseph Wilson
Birth Date:31 October 1974
Birth Place:Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.
Weight:145lb
Residence:Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S.
Spouse:Amy
Children:3
College:University of North Carolina
Yearpro:1997
Extour:PGA Tour
PGA Tour of Australasia
Web.com Tour
NGA Hooters Tour
Prowins:9
Pgawins:5
Otherwins:4
Masters:CUT: 2011, 2012
Usopen:CUT: 1998, 2011, 2012, 2014
Open:T63: 2011
Pga:T26: 2011
Award1:Ben Hogan Award
Year1:1996

Mark Joseph Wilson (born October 31, 1974) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. In 1996, he received the Ben Hogan Award, given by Friends of Golf and the Golf Coaches Association of America, to the best college golf player in the United States. He is a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, with his most recent win coming at the 2012 Humana Challenge.

Professional career

Wilson turned professional in 1997 and played on the NGA Hooters Tour for the early part of his career, where he won three times between 1998–2001.[1] He then won his PGA Tour card for the 2003 season after finishing T17 at the Q School in 2002. In his first full season on tour, Wilson narrowly missed out on retaining his card when he finished 128th on the money list. He held conditional status for the 2004 PGA Tour season and alternated between the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour for the season. He then regained his tour card for 2005 season at Q School and finished the year with three top-10 finishes including a T3 at the Valero Texas Open, which at the time was his best finish on the PGA Tour. He continued with conditional status in 2006 after finishing 133rd on the money list in 2005, then again regained full status at the 2006 Q School for the 2007 season.

Wilson won for the first time on the PGA Tour at the Honda Classic in March 2007, where he triumphed in a four-way playoff. He won the tournament on the third extra hole after being tied with José Cóceres, Camilo Villegas and Boo Weekley at 5-under-par.[2] This victory lifted Wilson into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career.[3]

Wilson has since won the 2009 Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun, the 2011 Sony Open in Hawaii[4] and the 2011 Waste Management Phoenix Open where he triumphed in a playoff against Jason Dufner.[5] The Sony Open victory earned Wilson his first trip to the Masters. Wilson earned his fifth PGA Tour victory at the 2012 Humana Challenge, holding off the challenge of Robert Garrigus, Johnson Wagner and John Mallinger by two strokes. He finished at 24-under-par, helped by a second round 62 which included eight birdies and an eagle.[6] With the win, he moved to a career high of 40th in the Official World Golf Ranking. The following month, Wilson enjoyed a good run at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship where he made it all the way to the semi-finals before losing to eventual champion Hunter Mahan, 2&1. He did however win the consolation match to finish third, defeating world number three Lee Westwood, 1 up. In his run for the semi-finals, Wilson beat Bo Van Pelt (3 and 2), Robert Rock (3 and 2), Dustin Johnson (4 and 3) and Peter Hanson (4 and 3). This was Wilson' best showing at a WGC event and he moved to a career high 24th in the world ranking.[7] [8]

For the first time since joining the PGA Tour, Wilson played the 2016–17 season out of the past champion's category.

Wilson now works full time as a golf commentator for PGA Tour Radio, PGA Tour LIVE, found on ESPN+, and PGA Tour Champions coverage on Golf. He has played one PGA Tour event in 2022, getting in as a past champion of The American Express in La Quinta, California.

Personal life

Wilson was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin and currently resides in Greer, South Carolina.

Along with his wife, Amy, he is heavily involved in the Blessings in a Backpack charitable organization, with a mission of sending needy school children home every weekend with nonperishable food they can eat on Saturday and Sunday.

Professional wins (9)

PGA Tour wins (5)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Mar 4, 2007The Honda Classic−5 (72-66-66-71=275)Playoff José Cóceres, Camilo Villegas,
Boo Weekley
2Mar 1, 2009Mayakoba Golf Classic−13 (66-64-69-68=267)2 strokes J. J. Henry
3Jan 16, 2011Sony Open in Hawaii−16 (65-67-65-67=264)2 strokes Tim Clark, Steve Marino
4Feb 7, 2011Waste Management Phoenix Open−18 (65-64-68-69=266)Playoff Jason Dufner
5Jan 22, 2012Humana Challenge−24 (66-62-67-69=264)2 strokes Robert Garrigus, John Mallinger,
Johnson Wagner

PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
12007The Honda Classic José Cóceres, Camilo Villegas,
Boo Weekley
Won with birdie on third extra hole
Villegas and Weekley eliminated by par on second hole
22011Waste Management Phoenix Open Jason DufnerWon with birdie on second extra hole

NGA Hooters Tour wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Mar 22, 1998Dick Brooks Classic−13 (68-70-68-69=275)4 strokes Wes Short Jr.
2Apr 18, 1999Gold Stroke Casino Classic−16 (67-64-73-68=272)7 strokes Greg Parker
3May 14, 2000Hooters Classic−11 (67-74-67-69=277)2 strokes Richie Coughlan, Scott Kammann,
Steve Pope

Other wins (1)

Results in major championships

Tournament19981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014
Masters TournamentCUTCUT
U.S. OpenCUTCUTCUTCUT
The Open ChampionshipT63CUT
PGA ChampionshipCUTCUTT26CUT

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Results in The Players Championship

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

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament200720082009201020112012
Match PlayR323
Championship25T49T45
InvitationalT36T17T45
ChampionsT56T46
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mark Wilson . PGA Tour . October 22, 2013.
  2. News: Wilson Wins Honda Playoff For First PGA Tour Win . NBC Sports . Associated Press . March 5, 2007 . January 18, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121010130003/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/17407520/ . October 10, 2012 . dead .
  3. Web site: Week 9 - Mark Wilson Wins the Honda Classic and Breaks into the World Top 100 . Official World Golf Rankings . March 5, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071012175019/http://www.officialworldgolfranking.com/NEWS/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=408545&itype=421 . October 12, 2007 .
  4. Web site: Mark Wilson clinches Sony Open title in Hawaii . January 16, 2011 . BBC Sport . January 17, 2011.
  5. Wilson wins playoff in Phoenix Open . February 7, 2011 . Sports Illustrated . February 7, 2011.
  6. News: Mark Wilson wins Humana Challenge . . January 22, 2012 . January 22, 2012.
  7. Web site: Results – WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship 2012 . 2024-02-07 . European Tour.
  8. Web site: Mark Wilson . 2024-02-07 . Official World Gold Ranking.