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Mark O'Meara

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For the Florida criminal defense attorney associated with the Trayvon Martin case, see Mark O'Mara.

Mark O'Meara
O'Meara in 2005
Personal information
Full nameMark Francis O'Meara
Born (1957-01-13) January 13, 1957 (age 67)
Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceSouthern Highlands, Nevada, U.S.
Spouse
Alicia Lauria O'Meara
​
​
(m. 1980; div. 2009)​

Meredith O'Meara
Children3
Career
CollegeLong Beach State University
Turned professional1980
Current tour(s)PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins34
Highest ranking2 (September 6, 1998)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour16
European Tour5
Japan Golf Tour2
PGA Tour of Australasia1
PGA Tour Champions3
Other9
Best results in major championships
(wins: 2)
Masters TournamentWon: 1998
PGA ChampionshipT4: 1998
U.S. OpenT3: 1988
The Open ChampionshipWon: 1998
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame2015 (member page)
PGA Tour
Rookie of the Year		1981
PGA Tour
Player of the Year		1998
PGA Player of the Year1998

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.[2] He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.[3]

Early years

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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,[4] and won the U.S. Amateur in 1979, defeating defending champion John Cook, 8 and 7, in the final.[5][6][7][8] 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.[9]

Professional career

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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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12]

Champions Tour

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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.[13][14]

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.[15]

Awards and recognition

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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.[16] He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.[3]

Amateur wins

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Professional wins (34)

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PGA Tour wins (16)

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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 United States Tom Watson
2 Feb 3, 1985 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am 70-72-68-73=283 −5 1 stroke Japan Kikuo Arai, United States Larry Rinker,
United States Curtis Strange
3 Feb 10, 1985 Hawaiian Open 67-66-65-69=267 −21 1 stroke United States Craig Stadler
4 Jan 29, 1989 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (2) 66-68-73-70=277 −11 1 stroke United States Tom Kite
5 Feb 4, 1990 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (3) 67-73-69-72=281 −7 2 strokes United States Kenny Perry
6 Oct 7, 1990 H.E.B. Texas Open 64-68-66-63=261 −19 1 stroke United States Gary Hallberg
7 Oct 19, 1991 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic 66-66-71-64=267 −21 1 stroke United States David Peoples
8 Feb 2, 1992 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (4) 69-68-68-70=275 −13 Playoff United States Jeff Sluman
9 Mar 12, 1995 Honda Classic 68-65-71-71=275 −9 1 stroke England Nick Faldo
10 Sep 10, 1995 Bell Canadian Open 72-67-68-67=274 −14 Playoff United States Bob Lohr
11 Jan 7, 1996 Mercedes Championships 68-69-66-68=271 −17 3 strokes England Nick Faldo, United States Scott Hoch
12 Apr 28, 1996 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic 75-68-62-69=274 −14 2 strokes United States Duffy Waldorf
13 Feb 2, 1997 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (5) 67-67-67-67=268 −20 1 stroke United States David Duval, United States Tiger Woods
14 Feb 9, 1997 Buick Invitational 67-66-71-71=275 −13 2 strokes United States David Ogrin, United States Donnie Hammond,
Sweden Jesper Parnevik, United States Craig Stadler,
United States Lee Janzen, United States Mike Hulbert,
United States Duffy Waldorf
15 Apr 12, 1998 Masters Tournament 74-70-68-67=279 −9 1 stroke United States Fred Couples, United States David Duval
16 Jul 19, 1998 The Open Championship 72-68-72-68=280 E Playoff United States Brian Watts

PGA Tour playoff record (3–4)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1981 Tallahassee Open United States Dave Eichelberger, United States Bob Murphy Eichelberger won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1983 Phoenix Open United States Rex Caldwell, United States Bob Gilder,
United States 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 United States Corey Pavin Lost to birdie on first extra hole
4 1992 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic United States John Cook, United States Rick Fehr,
United States Tom Kite, United States 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 United States Jeff Sluman Won with par on first extra hole
6 1995 Bell Canadian Open United States Bob Lohr Won with par on first extra hole
7 1998 The Open Championship United States 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)

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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 England Carl Mason
2 Sep 14, 1997 Trophée Lancôme 69-67-66-69=271 −13 1 stroke Sweden Jarmo Sandelin
3 Apr 12, 1998 Masters Tournament 74-70-68-67=279 −9 1 stroke United States Fred Couples, United States David Duval
4 Jul 19, 1998 The Open Championship 72-68-72-68=280 E Playoff United States Brian Watts
5 Mar 7, 2004 Dubai Desert Classic 70-64-68-69=271 −17 1 stroke Republic of Ireland Paul McGinley

European Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1998 The Open Championship United States 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)

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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 Japan Masashi Ozaki
2 Oct 4, 1992 Tokai Classic 66-68-72-71=277 −11 1 stroke United States Tom Kite

PGA Tour of Australia wins (1)

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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 Australia David Graham

South American Tour wins (1)

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Other wins (8)

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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 United States Corey Pavin
2 Nov 19, 1989 RMCC Invitational
(with United States Curtis Strange) 		66-62-62=190 −26 6 strokes West Germany Bernhard Langer and United States John Mahaffey,
United States Lanny Wadkins and United States Tom Weiskopf
3 Aug 23, 1994 Fred Meyer Challenge
(with United States John Cook) 		63-62=125 −17 Playoff United States Ben Crenshaw and United States Phil Mickelson
4 Oct 18, 1998 Cisco World Match Play Championship 1 up United States Tiger Woods
5 Nov 29, 1998 Skins Game $405,000 $10,000 United States Tom Lehman
6 Nov 21, 1999 World Cup of Golf
(with United States Tiger Woods) 		140-133-130-142=545 −23 5 strokes  Spain − Santiago Luna and Miguel Ángel Martín
7 Aug 8, 2000 Fred Meyer Challenge (2)
(with United States John Cook) 		64-61=125 −19 Playoff South Africa David Frost and United States Jim Furyk
8 Dec 1, 2002 Skins Game (2) $405,000 $105,000 United States Phil Mickelson

Other playoff record (3–0)

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

PGA Tour Champions wins (3)

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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 Zimbabwe Nick Price) 		62-64-62=188 −28 Playoff United States John Cook and United States Joey Sindelar
2 Oct 10, 2010 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship 68-68-69-68=273 −7 Playoff United States Michael Allen
3 Mar 3, 2019 Cologuard Classic 66-70-66=202 −17 4 strokes Northern Ireland Darren Clarke, United States Scott McCarron,
United States Kirk Triplett, United States Willie Wood

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (2–2)

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

Major championships

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Wins (2)

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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 United States Fred Couples, United States David Duval
1998 The Open Championship 2 shot deficit 72-68-72-68=280 E Playoff1 United States Brian Watts

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

Results timeline

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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
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Summary

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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

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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
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Results in World Golf Championships

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

1Cancelled due to 9/11

  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
WD = Withdrew
NT = No tournament

Senior major championships

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Wins (1)

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

Results timeline

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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
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

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Professional

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Week 36 1998 Ending 6 Sep 1998" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  2. ^ "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking" (PDF). Official World Golf Ranking. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  3. ^ a b McAllister, Mike (October 15, 2014). "Class of 2015 Hall of Famers receive surprise calls". PGA Tour.
  4. ^ Foster, Chris (March 9, 2007). "O'Meara Comes Home For Toshiba Classic". Long Beach State.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  5. ^ "Ohio State's Cook makes Am finals". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. September 2, 1979. p. 5C.
  6. ^ "O'Meara dethrones Cook, easily wins U.S. Amateur". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. September 3, 1979. p. 32.
  7. ^ "U.S. Amateur Results: 1895 to Present". USGA. February 15, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  8. ^ Chmiel, David (August 18, 2015). "Mark O'Meara: U.S. Amateur Victory Provided Crucial Confidence". USGA. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  9. ^ Wargo, Buck (June 5, 2020). "Golf champ Mark O'Meara buys Southern Highlands home". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  10. ^ An Interview with: Mark O'Meara Archived October 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Glover, Tim (June 20, 1999). "Golf: First Night - Jarmo Sandelin: The maverick of the fairways Europe's newest Ryder Cup player will test the team ethic". Independent.
  12. ^ "O'Meara admits to possible misplacing". The Irish Times. April 30, 1998.
  13. ^ "O'Meara withdraws from Masters before 1st round". Yahoo Sports. April 5, 2012. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  14. ^ "Former champ Mark O'Meara to miss British Open". Times of India. July 10, 2012.[dead link]
  15. ^ Babineau, Jeff (September 18, 2024). "Mark O'Meara looking forward to one more walk at Pebble Beach, his true happy place". PGA Tour. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  16. ^ "Owen nets BBC sports award". BBC. December 14, 1998. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
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