# Mark Hayes (golfer)

Mark Stephen Hayes (July 12, 1949 – July 17, 2018) was an American professional golfer. He had three victories on the PGA Tour in the 1970s, including the 1977 Tournament Players Championship. He played in the 1979 Ryder Cup as a late replacement for Tom Watson.

## Early years and amateur career

Born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Hayes played collegiately at Oklahoma State University, where he was a two-time All-American. He won the Sunnehanna Amateur in 1972.

## Professional career

Hayes won three times on the PGA Tour: the Byron Nelson Golf Classic and Pensacola Open in 1976, and won the first standalone Tournament Players Championship in 1977. He also won the PGA Tour-sponsored Tallahassee Open in 1986 and three Oklahoma Opens.
Hayes had his best finish in a major championship at the U.S. Open in 1980, where he began the final round of play two shots out of the lead but shot a final round 74 to finish T6. He was also the first round leader at the 1975 PGA Championship, but finished T22. In the second round of The Open Championship in 1977, Hayes shot 63 at the Ailsa Course at Turnberry to establish a new single round record at The Open Championship by two strokes. The previous record of 65 was set by Henry Cotton in the second round in 1934 at Royal St. George's.
Hayes played in the 1979 Ryder Cup team after Tom Watson gave up his spot to be with his wife at the birth of their first child. Hayes lost both his matches on the second day but won his singles match against Antonio Garrido on the final day, to help the United States to a 17 to 11 win over the European team.
After turning 50, Hayes joined the Senior PGA Tour. His best finish was T10 at the 2001 Siebel Classic in Silicon Valley.
Hayes was well known for his trademark bucket caps.

## Business career

In the late 1980s, Hayes began preparing for a career in golf course design and construction. In 1990, he established a golf course design firm. His projects were built in Oklahoma and neighboring states.

## Death

Hayes died on July 17, 2018, from early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

## Amateur wins

* 1972 Sunnehanna Amateur

## Professional wins (7)
### PGA Tour wins (3)

* Legend
* Players Championships (1)
* Other PGA Tour (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | May 9, 1976 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | 66-67-71-69=273 | −11 | 2 strokes | Don Bies |
| 2 | Nov 1, 1976 | Pensacola Open | 68-72-69-66=275 | −9 | 2 strokes | Lee Elder |
| 3 | Mar 20, 1977 | Tournament Players Championship | 72-74-71-72=289 | +1 | 2 strokes | Mike McCullough |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1979 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | Andy Bean, Lon Hinkle | Hinkle won with birdie on third extra hole Bean eliminated by par on second hole |
| 2 | 1981 | Greater Greensboro Open | Larry Nelson | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |

### PGA Tour satellite wins (1)

* 1986 Tallahassee Open

### Other wins (3)

* 1976 Oklahoma Open
* 1988 Oklahoma Open
* 1993 Oklahoma Open

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | | T33 | | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T40 | | T14 | T41 | T35 | CUT |
| The Open Championship | | | | | T9 | T14 | T30 |
| PGA Championship | | | T22 | T15 | T19 | CUT | T62 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1990 |
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | T10 | T20 | CUT | | | | |
| U.S. Open | T6 | T14 | CUT | T26 | T43 | | | CUT | CUT |
| The Open Championship | T32 | | | | | | | | |
| PGA Championship | T59 | T33 | T34 | CUT | | CUT | CUT | | |
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 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 8 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 7 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 34 | 22 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1974 U.S. Open – 1978 Open Championship)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (three times)

## The Players Championship
### Wins (1)

| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 1977 | Tournament Players Championship | Tied for lead | +1 (72-74-71-72=289) | 2 strokes | Mike McCullough |

### Results timeline

| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 |
| The Players Championship | T19 | CUT | 5 | 1 | T28 | T60 | T45 | T34 | 80 | | CUT | CUT | CUT | T54 | CUT | T55 | | T52 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place.

## U.S. national team appearances

Amateur
* Eisenhower Trophy: 1972 (winners)
Professional
* Ryder Cup: 1979 (winners)