Mark O'Meara

Template:Short description Template:For Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox golfer Mark Francis O'Meara (born January 13, 1957) is an American retired 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He won two major championships, the 1998 Masters Tournament and the 1998 Open Championship, becoming the oldest player to win two majors in one year. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.<ref name="HOF">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and won the U.S. Amateur in 1979, defeating defending champion John Cook, 8 and 7, in the final.<ref name=oscamf>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=easam>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=amresu>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>An Interview with: Mark O'Meara Template:Webarchive</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref>

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.

O'Meara retired in September 2024 after the PURE Insurance Championship, having announced that it would be his last professional event, and missing the cut.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.<ref name="HOF"/>

Amateur wins

• 1979 U.S. Amateur, California State Amateur Championship

Professional wins (34)

PGA Tour wins (16)

Legend
Major championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (14)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Sep 16, 1984	Greater Milwaukee Open	67-68-69-68=272	−16	5 strokes	Template:Flagicon Tom Watson
2	Feb 3, 1985	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	70-72-68-73=283	−5	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Kikuo Arai, Template:Flagicon Larry Rinker, Template:Flagicon Curtis Strange
3	Feb 10, 1985	Hawaiian Open	67-66-65-69=267	−21	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Craig Stadler
4	Jan 29, 1989	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (2)	66-68-73-70=277	−11	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Tom Kite
5	Feb 4, 1990	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (3)	67-73-69-72=281	−7	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Kenny Perry
6	Oct 7, 1990	H.E.B. Texas Open	64-68-66-63=261	−19	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Gary Hallberg
7	Oct 19, 1991	Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic	66-66-71-64=267	−21	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon David Peoples
8	Feb 2, 1992	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (4)	69-68-68-70=275	−13	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Jeff Sluman
9	Mar 12, 1995	Honda Classic	68-65-71-71=275	−9	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Nick Faldo
10	Sep 10, 1995	Bell Canadian Open	72-67-68-67=274	−14	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Bob Lohr
11	Jan 7, 1996	Mercedes Championships	68-69-66-68=271	−17	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon Nick Faldo, Template:Flagicon Scott Hoch
12	Apr 28, 1996	Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic	75-68-62-69=274	−14	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Duffy Waldorf
13	Feb 2, 1997	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (5)	67-67-67-67=268	−20	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon David Duval, Template:Flagicon Tiger Woods
14	Feb 9, 1997	Buick Invitational	67-66-71-71=275	−13	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon David Ogrin, Template:Flagicon Donnie Hammond, Template:Flagicon Jesper Parnevik, Template:Flagicon Craig Stadler, Template:Flagicon Lee Janzen, Template:Flagicon Mike Hulbert, Template:Flagicon Duffy Waldorf
15	Apr 12, 1998	Masters Tournament	74-70-68-67=279	−9	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Fred Couples, Template:Flagicon David Duval
16	Jul 19, 1998	The Open Championship	72-68-72-68=280	E	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Brian Watts

PGA Tour playoff record (3–4)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1981	Tallahassee Open	Template:Flagicon Dave Eichelberger, Template:Flagicon Bob Murphy	Eichelberger won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1983	Phoenix Open	Template:Flagicon Rex Caldwell, Template:Flagicon Bob Gilder, Template:Flagicon Johnny Miller	Gilder won with birdie on eighth extra hole Miller and O'Meara eliminated by birdie on second hole
3	1991	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	Template:Flagicon Corey Pavin	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
4	1992	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	Template:Flagicon John Cook, Template:Flagicon Rick Fehr, Template:Flagicon Tom Kite, Template:Flagicon 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
5	1992	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	Template:Flagicon Jeff Sluman	Won with par on first extra hole
6	1995	Bell Canadian Open	Template:Flagicon Bob Lohr	Won with par on first extra hole
7	1998	The Open Championship	Template:Flagicon Brian Watts	Won 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.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 23, 1987	Lawrence Batley International	71-64-70-66=271	−17	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon Carl Mason
2	Sep 14, 1997	Trophée Lancôme	69-67-66-69=271	−13	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Jarmo Sandelin
3	Apr 12, 1998	Masters Tournament	74-70-68-67=279	−9	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Fred Couples, Template:Flagicon David Duval
4	Jul 19, 1998	The Open Championship	72-68-72-68=280	E	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Brian Watts
5	Mar 7, 2004	Dubai Desert Classic	70-64-68-69=271	−17	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Paul McGinley

European Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1998	The Open Championship	Template:Flagicon Brian Watts	Won four-hole aggregate playoff; O'Meara: −1 (4-4-5-4=17), Watts: +1 (5-4-5-5=19)

PGA of Japan Tour wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	May 12, 1985	Fujisankei Classic	67-67-66-73=273	−11	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon Masashi Ozaki
2	Oct 4, 1992	Tokai Classic	66-68-72-71=277	−11	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Tom Kite

PGA Tour of Australia wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Feb 23, 1986	Australian Masters	74-66-71-73=284	−8	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon David Graham

South American Tour wins (1)

• 1994 Argentine Open

Other wins (8)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Nov 16, 1985	Isuzu Kapalua International	67-70-70-68=275	−13	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Corey Pavin
2	Nov 19, 1989	RMCC Invitational (with Template:Flagicon Curtis Strange)	66-62-62=190	−26	6 strokes	Template:Flagicon Bernhard Langer and Template:Flagicon John Mahaffey, Template:Flagicon Lanny Wadkins and Template:Flagicon Tom Weiskopf
3	Aug 23, 1994	Fred Meyer Challenge (with Template:Flagicon John Cook)	63-62=125	−17	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Ben Crenshaw and Template:Flagicon Phil Mickelson
4	Oct 18, 1998	Cisco World Match Play Championship	1 up			Template:Flagicon Tiger Woods
5	Nov 29, 1998	Skins Game	$405,000		$10,000	Template:Flagicon Tom Lehman
6	Nov 21, 1999	World Cup of Golf (with Template:Flagicon Tiger Woods)	140-133-130-142=545	−23	5 strokes	{{#invoke:flag	Spain}} − Santiago Luna and Miguel Ángel Martín
7	Aug 8, 2000	Fred Meyer Challenge (2) (with Template:Flagicon John Cook)	64-61=125	−19	Playoff	Template:Flagicon David Frost and Template:Flagicon Jim Furyk
8	Dec 1, 2002	Skins Game (2)	$405,000		$105,000	Template:Flagicon Phil Mickelson

Other playoff record (3–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1985	Isuzu Kapalua International	Template:Flagicon Corey Pavin	Won with birdie on third extra hole
2	1994	Fred Meyer Challenge (with Template:Flagicon John Cook)	Template:Flagicon Ben Crenshaw and Template:Flagicon Phil Mickelson	Won with par on second extra hole
3	2000	Fred Meyer Challenge (with Template:Flagicon John Cook)	Template:Flagicon David Frost and Template:Flagicon Jim Furyk	Won with birdie on first extra hole

PGA Tour Champions wins (3)

Legend
PGA Tour Champions major championships (1)
Other Champions Tour (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Apr 25, 2010	Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf (with Template:Flagicon Nick Price)	62-64-62=188	−28	Playoff	Template:Flagicon John Cook and Template:Flagicon Joey Sindelar
2	Oct 10, 2010	Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship	68-68-69-68=273	−7	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Michael Allen
3	Mar 3, 2019	Cologuard Classic	66-70-66=202	−17	4 strokes	Template:Flagicon Darren Clarke, Template:Flagicon Scott McCarron, Template:Flagicon Kirk Triplett, Template:Flagicon Willie Wood

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (2–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	2010	Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf (with Template:Flagicon Nick Price)	Template:Flagicon John Cook and Template:Flagicon Joey Sindelar	Won with par on second extra hole
2	2010	Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship	Template:Flagicon Michael Allen	Won with par on first extra hole
3	2011	Songdo IBD Championship	Template:Flagicon Jay Don Blake, Template:Flagicon John Cook, Template:Flagicon Peter Senior	Blake won with birdie on fifth extra hole O'Meara and Senior eliminated by par on third hole
4	2012	Boeing Classic	Template:Flagicon Jay Don Blake	Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Major championships

Wins (2)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	To par	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1998	Masters Tournament	2 shot deficit	74-70-68-67=279	−9	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Fred Couples, Template:Flagicon David Duval
1998	The Open Championship	2 shot deficit	72-68-72-68=280	E	Playoff1	Template:Flagicon 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 Tournament	CUT					24	48	T24	T39	T11
U.S. Open	CUT	CUT	58		T7	T15	T41	CUT	T3	CUT
The Open Championship		T47				T3	T43	T66	27	T42
PGA Championship		T70		CUT	T25	T28	CUT	CUT	T9	CUT

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament	CUT	T27	T4	T21	T15	T31	T18	T30	1	T31
U.S. Open	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT		T16	T36	T32	CUT
The Open Championship	T48	T3	T12	CUT		T49	T33	T38	1	CUT
PGA Championship	T19	CUT	CUT	CUT		T6	T26	T13	T4	T57

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Masters Tournament	CUT	T20	CUT	T8	T27	T31	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	T51	CUT	T18	T35					CUT
The Open Championship	T26	T42	T22	T65	T30	CUT	T63	T60	CUT	T70
PGA Championship	T46	T22	CUT	CUT	CUT

Tournament	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Masters Tournament	CUT	CUT		CUT	CUT	T22	CUT	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship	CUT	CUT		T58		T78	T63	CUT
PGA Championship

Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend 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
Masters Tournament	1	0	0	2	3	11	34	19
U.S. Open	0	0	1	1	2	5	23	11
The Open Championship	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

• Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1995 Masters – 1999 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1998 Open Championship – 1998 PGA)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
The Players Championship	T26	T77	T49	T5	T17	T33	3	CUT	CUT

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
The Players Championship	WD	CUT	T9	5	CUT	CUT	T29	T70	T42	T6

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
The Players Championship	T9	CUT	CUT	CUT

Tournament	2010	2011
The Players Championship		74

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

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Match Play	R64	R32
Championship			NT1
Invitational	T25	T27				T72

¹Cancelled due to 9/11
Template:Legend QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
WD = Withdrew
NT = No tournament

Senior major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	Winning score	To par	Margin	Runner-up
2010	Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship	68-68-69-68=273	−7	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Michael Allen

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 Tradition	T14	T31	T11	T38	T12		T36	T35	T38	T17	T40	T13		NT	72	T54
Senior PGA Championship	T12	T24	T14	4	T18		4		T45	T14	T46	T38		NT	T57
U.S. Senior Open	T11	CUT	T6	CUT	2		19	T38	WD	CUT	CUT	CUT	T38	NT	T52	T41	T51
Senior Players Championship	T31	T32	T9	1	5		T39	T6	WD	T36	70	T72	WD	66
Senior British Open Championship	T2	T34	T25		T39		T26		WD	T18				NT

Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend 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

• Alfred Dunhill Cup: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1996 (winners), 1997, 1998, 1999
• Ryder Cup: 1985, 1989 (tie), 1991 (winners), 1997, 1999 (winners)
• Nissan Cup: 1985 (winners)
• Presidents Cup: 1996 (winners), 1998
• World Cup: 1999 (winners)
• UBS Cup: 2001 (winners), 2002 (winners), 2003 (tie)

See also

• Fall 1980 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• List of golfers with most wins in one PGA Tour event

External links

• Template:PGATour player
• Template:EuroTour player
• Template:JapanTour player
• Template:OWGR
• Template:Usurped