Mark O'Meara

Mark Francis O'Meara (born January 13, 1957) is an American retired professional golfer. He won tournaments 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. He won two major championships, the 1998 Masters Tournament and the 1998 Open Championship, becoming the oldest player to win two majors in a year. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.

Early life O'Meara was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina and grew up in Mission Viejo, California. He took up golf at 13, sneaking into the nearby Mission Viejo Country Club. O'Meara later became an employee of the club and played on his high school golf team.

O'Meara was an All-American at Long Beach State in Long Beach, California, and won the U.S. Amateur in 1979, defeating defending champion John Cook, 8 and 7, in the final.

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. 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. 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 Lancome Trophy tournament at Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche in September 1997, which was won by O'Meara, he was involved in a controversy. 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. Tournament runner-up Jarmo Sandelin of Sweden wrote to O'Meara in March 1998, sending a video recording of the incident and asking 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 hand back the trophy and the prize money. O'Meara admitted in April 1998 that he may have, without intention, misplaced the ball.

Senior career 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.

In the early 2000s, O'Meara began to develop a golf course design practice and he enjoys fishing in his off time. The first course he designed opened in May 2001 at the Grandview Golf Club in Huntsville, Ontario. He is 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.

Personal life O'Meara was a former resident of Orlando, Florida and lived in the same neighborhood as Tiger Woods. They became good friends and frequently golfed together during that time. O'Meara resides in Southern Highlands, Nevada.

Awards and recognition

In 1981, O'Meara earned PGA Tour Rookie of the Year In 1998, he 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. In 1998, O'Meara earned PGA Tour Player of the Year honors In 1998, he earned PGA Player of the Year honors In 2015, O'Meara was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

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)

PGA Tour playoff record (3–4)

European Tour wins (5) Legend Major championships (2) Other European Tour (3)

European Tour playoff record (1–0)

PGA of Japan Tour wins (2)

PGA Tour of Australia wins (1)

South American Tour wins (1) 1994 Argentine Open

Other wins (8)

Other playoff record (3–0)

PGA Tour Champions wins (3) LegendPGA Tour Champions major championships (1)Other Champions Tour (2)

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (2–2)

Major championships Wins (2) 1Defeated Brian Watts in 4-hole playoff: O'Meara (4-4-5-4=17), Watts (5-4-5-5=19)

Results timeline

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

Summary 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

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

Results in World Golf Championships 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 Wins (1) YearChampionshipWinning scoreTo parMarginRunner-up 2010 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship 68-68-69-68=273 −7 Playoff Michael Allen

Results timeline Results not in chronological order before 2022.

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)