# Mark O'Meara

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. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.

## 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, and won the U.S. Amateur in 1979, defeating defending champion John Cook, 8 and 7, in the final. 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.

## 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. 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. 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.

## 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.
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.

## 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. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.

## 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 | Tom Watson |
| 2 | Feb 3, 1985 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | 70-72-68-73=283 | −5 | 1 stroke | Kikuo Arai, Larry Rinker, Curtis Strange |
| 3 | Feb 10, 1985 | Hawaiian Open | 67-66-65-69=267 | −21 | 1 stroke | Craig Stadler |
| 4 | Jan 29, 1989 | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (2) | 66-68-73-70=277 | −11 | 1 stroke | Tom Kite |
| 5 | Feb 4, 1990 | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (3) | 67-73-69-72=281 | −7 | 2 strokes | Kenny Perry |
| 6 | Oct 7, 1990 | H.E.B. Texas Open | 64-68-66-63=261 | −19 | 1 stroke | Gary Hallberg |
| 7 | Oct 19, 1991 | Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic | 66-66-71-64=267 | −21 | 1 stroke | David Peoples |
| 8 | Feb 2, 1992 | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (4) | 69-68-68-70=275 | −13 | Playoff | Jeff Sluman |
| 9 | Mar 12, 1995 | Honda Classic | 68-65-71-71=275 | −9 | 1 stroke | Nick Faldo |
| 10 | Sep 10, 1995 | Bell Canadian Open | 72-67-68-67=274 | −14 | Playoff | Bob Lohr |
| 11 | Jan 7, 1996 | Mercedes Championships | 68-69-66-68=271 | −17 | 3 strokes | Nick Faldo, Scott Hoch |
| 12 | Apr 28, 1996 | Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic | 75-68-62-69=274 | −14 | 2 strokes | Duffy Waldorf |
| 13 | Feb 2, 1997 | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (5) | 67-67-67-67=268 | −20 | 1 stroke | David Duval, Tiger Woods |
| 14 | Feb 9, 1997 | Buick Invitational | 67-66-71-71=275 | −13 | 2 strokes | David Ogrin, Donnie Hammond, Jesper Parnevik, Craig Stadler, Lee Janzen, Mike Hulbert, Duffy Waldorf |
| 15 | Apr 12, 1998 | Masters Tournament | 74-70-68-67=279 | −9 | 1 stroke | Fred Couples, David Duval |
| 16 | Jul 19, 1998 | The Open Championship | 72-68-72-68=280 | E | Playoff | Brian Watts |
PGA Tour playoff record (3–4)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1981 | Tallahassee Open | Dave Eichelberger, Bob Murphy | Eichelberger won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1983 | Phoenix Open | Rex Caldwell, Bob Gilder, 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 | Corey Pavin | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1992 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | John Cook, Rick Fehr, Tom Kite, 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 | Jeff Sluman | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 6 | 1995 | Bell Canadian Open | Bob Lohr | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 7 | 1998 | The Open Championship | 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 | Carl Mason |
| 2 | Sep 14, 1997 | Trophée Lancôme | 69-67-66-69=271 | −13 | 1 stroke | Jarmo Sandelin |
| 3 | Apr 12, 1998 | Masters Tournament | 74-70-68-67=279 | −9 | 1 stroke | Fred Couples, David Duval |
| 4 | Jul 19, 1998 | The Open Championship | 72-68-72-68=280 | E | Playoff | Brian Watts |
| 5 | Mar 7, 2004 | Dubai Desert Classic | 70-64-68-69=271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Paul McGinley |
European Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1998 | The Open Championship | 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 | Masashi Ozaki |
| 2 | Oct 4, 1992 | Tokai Classic | 66-68-72-71=277 | −11 | 1 stroke | 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 | 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 | Corey Pavin |
| 2 | Nov 19, 1989 | RMCC Invitational (with Curtis Strange) | 66-62-62=190 | −26 | 6 strokes | Bernhard Langer and John Mahaffey, Lanny Wadkins and Tom Weiskopf |
| 3 | Aug 23, 1994 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with John Cook) | 63-62=125 | −17 | Playoff | Ben Crenshaw and Phil Mickelson |
| 4 | Oct 18, 1998 | Cisco World Match Play Championship | 1 up | 1 up | 1 up | Tiger Woods |
| 5 | Nov 29, 1998 | Skins Game | $405,000 | $405,000 | $10,000 | Tom Lehman |
| 6 | Nov 21, 1999 | World Cup of Golf (with 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 John Cook) | 64-61=125 | −19 | Playoff | David Frost and Jim Furyk |
| 8 | Dec 1, 2002 | Skins Game (2) | $405,000 | $405,000 | $105,000 | Phil Mickelson |
Other playoff record (3–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1985 | Isuzu Kapalua International | Corey Pavin | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1994 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with John Cook) | Ben Crenshaw and Phil Mickelson | Won with par on second extra hole |
| 3 | 2000 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with John Cook) | David Frost and 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 Nick Price) | 62-64-62=188 | −28 | Playoff | John Cook and Joey Sindelar |
| 2 | Oct 10, 2010 | Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship | 68-68-69-68=273 | −7 | Playoff | Michael Allen |
| 3 | Mar 3, 2019 | Cologuard Classic | 66-70-66=202 | −17 | 4 strokes | Darren Clarke, Scott McCarron, Kirk Triplett, Willie Wood |
PGA Tour Champions playoff record (2–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 2010 | Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf (with Nick Price) | John Cook and Joey Sindelar | Won with par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2010 | Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship | Michael Allen | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2011 | Songdo IBD Championship | Jay Don Blake, John Cook, Peter Senior | Blake won with birdie on fifth extra hole O'Meara and Senior eliminated by par on third hole |
| 4 | 2012 | Boeing Classic | 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 | Fred Couples, David Duval |
| 1998 | The Open Championship | 2 shot deficit | 72-68-72-68=280 | E | Playoff$^1$ | Brian Watts |
$^1$Defeated 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 | 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 | | | | | | | | |
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 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut WD = withdrew "T" indicates a tie for a place

## Results in World Golf Championships

| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2004 |
| Match Play | R64 | R32 | | |
| Championship | | | NT$^1$ | |
| Invitational | T25 | T27 | | T72 |
$^1$Cancelled 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)

| Year | Championship | Winning score | To par | Margin | Runner-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.
| Tournament | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 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 | | | |
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)