# Howard Clark (golfer)

Howard Keith Clark (born 26 August 1954) is an English professional golfer who played on the European Tour for many years and had his most successful period in the mid-1980s.

## Early life and amateur career

Clark was born in Leeds, England. He learned the game from his father, who was a scratch amateur. He won the 1971 Boys Amateur Championship and played for Great Britain & Ireland in the 1973 Walker Cup.

## Professional career

Clark turned professional in 1973 and joined the European Tour in 1974. His first professional tournament win came in the 1975 Greater Manchester Open. In 1976 he won the T.P.D. Under-25 Championship and his first win on the European Tour was two years later at the 1978 Portuguese Open. Clark's final tally of European Tour wins was eleven, including pairs of wins in four consecutive seasons from 1984 to 1987. He also won the individual title at the World Cup of Golf in 1985. His best placing on the Order of Merit was third, which he achieved in both 1984 and 1986. His form fell away in the early 1990s but revived for a time in the middle of that decade, and he made the top twenty on the Order of Merit in 1994 and 1995. His last season on the tour was 1999 and he subsequently worked as an on-course commentator for BBC Sport before moving to Sky Sports.
Clark played in the Ryder Cup six times and was on three winning European teams and also the 1989 team which tied the match and retained the Cup.

## Amateur wins

* 1971 Boys Amateur Championship

## Professional wins (14)
### European Tour wins (11)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 15 Apr 1978 | Portuguese Open | −1 (71-75-71-74=291) | 1 stroke | Brian Barnes, Simon Hobday |
| 2 | 29 Apr 1978 | Madrid Open | −6 (70-70-72-70=282) | 2 strokes | José María Cañizares |
| 3 | 29 Apr 1984 | Cepsa Madrid Open (2) | −14 (66-68-69-71=274) | 3 strokes | José María Cañizares |
| 4 | 28 May 1984 | Whyte & Mackay PGA Championship | −12 (64-69-71=204)* | 2 strokes | Gordon J. Brand, Bernhard Langer |
| 5 | 16 Jun 1985 | Jersey Open | −1 (71-69-71-68=279) | 1 stroke | Warren Humphreys, Philip Parkin, Ian Woosnam |
| 6 | 11 Aug 1985 | Glasgow Open | −6 (71-65-70-68=274) | Playoff | Sandy Lyle |
| 7 | 27 Apr 1986 | Cepsa Madrid Open (3) | −14 (70-68-67-69=274) | 1 stroke | Seve Ballesteros |
| 8 | 18 May 1986 | Peugeot Spanish Open | −16 (68-71-66-67=272) | 1 stroke | Ian Baker-Finch |
| 9 | 22 Mar 1987 | Moroccan Open | −8 (73-73-66-72=284) | 3 strokes | Mark James |
| 10 | 9 Aug 1987 | PLM Open | −17 (68-73-67-63=271) | 2 strokes | Ossie Moore |
| 11 | 2 Oct 1988 | English Open | −9 (72-71-67-69=279) | 3 strokes | Peter Baker |
*Note: The 1984 Whyte & Mackay PGA Championship was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
European Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1985 | Glasgow Open | Sandy Lyle | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1995 | Murphy's Irish Open | Stuart Cage, Sam Torrance | Torrance won with eagle on second extra hole Cage eliminated by par on first hole |

### Other wins (3)

* 1975 Greater Manchester Open
* 1976 T.P.D. Under-25 Championship
* 1985 World Cup (individual title)

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1972 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | | |
| U.S. Open | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | T13 | T44 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | | | | | |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | | | | | T35 | | |
| U.S. Open | | | | | | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | T32 | T8 | CUT | T26 | T52 | T47 | CUT | T62 | T28 | T13 |
| PGA Championship | | | | | | | CUT | | | |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1998 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | | | | | |
| U.S. Open | | | CUT | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T80 | CUT | T21 | CUT | CUT | 70 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | | | | | | | T80 | |
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

### Summary

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 13 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 27 | 15 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (1987 Masters – 1989 Open Championship)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 1

## Team appearances

Amateur
* Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1973
Professional
* Ryder Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland/Europe): 1977, 1981, 1985 (winners), 1987 (winners), 1989 (tied, cup retained), 1995 (winners)
* Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1978 (winners), (representing England) 1984 (winners)
* World Cup (representing England): 1978, 1984, 1985 (individual winner), 1987
* Dunhill Cup (representing England): 1985, 1986, 1987 (winners), 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995
* Nissan Cup (representing Europe): 1985, 1986