Mark Hensby
Encyclopedia
Mark Adam Hensby is an Australia
n professional golf
er.
Hensby was born in Melbourne
, Victoria
. He grew up in Tamworth, New South Wales
and attended Tamworth High School, leaving at the age of 16 to work as a postie
while spending most of his time on the golf course
. He moved to the United States in 1994, and having initially stayed with family friends, for a time slept in his car parked at the Cog Hill Golf & Country Club
near Chicago, Illinois. He won the Illinois State Amateur Championship in 1994 before turning professional
the following year. He now lives in Mesa, Arizona
.
Hensby played on what is now the Nationwide Tour
(formerly the Nike Tour and Buy.com Tour) for several years from 1997 before he graduated to the PGA Tour
for the 2001 season. He gained his place on the elite tour by virtue of his 2nd place finish on the Buy.com Tour money list in 2000. In his rookie season, Hensby did not earn enough money to retain his card and was forced to return to the second tier for 2002, after failing to regain his place at the end of season qualifying school
. In 2003, he picked up his third win on the Nationwide Tour and finished 7th on the money list, to graduate directly to the PGA Tour for the second time.
2004 was a breakthrough season for Hensby as he sought to establish himself on the PGA Tour. He collected his first win at the 2004 John Deere Classic
, where he defeated John E. Morgan
in a sudden-death playoff, and also had several other top 10 finishes on his way to 15th place on the end of season money list. The following season, he made an impact in the majors
, finishing tied for 5th at the Masters, tied for 3rd in the U.S. Open
, and tied for 15th in the British Open
.
A car accident early in 2006 severely limited Hensby's ability to compete that year, but he came back in 2007 to finish just outside the top 100 on the PGA Tour money list and secure his card for following season. His struggles were not over however and in 2008, he slipped outside the top 150 to lose his fully exempt status.
Hensby won the Scandinavian Masters on the European Tour in 2005, and has also featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings
.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er.
Hensby was born in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. He grew up in Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
and attended Tamworth High School, leaving at the age of 16 to work as a postie
Mail carrier
A mail carrier, mailman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman , postman/postwoman , letter carrier or postie is an employee of the post office or postal service, who delivers mail and parcel post to residences and businesses...
while spending most of his time on the golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
. He moved to the United States in 1994, and having initially stayed with family friends, for a time slept in his car parked at the Cog Hill Golf & Country Club
Cog Hill Golf & Country Club
Cog Hill Golf & Country Club is a public golf complex located southwest of Chicago. Cog Hill hosts the PGA Tour's BMW Championship from 2009 to 2011 on its championship course Dubsdread.-History:...
near Chicago, Illinois. He won the Illinois State Amateur Championship in 1994 before turning professional
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
the following year. He now lives in Mesa, Arizona
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
.
Hensby played on what is now the Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
(formerly the Nike Tour and Buy.com Tour) for several years from 1997 before he graduated to the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
for the 2001 season. He gained his place on the elite tour by virtue of his 2nd place finish on the Buy.com Tour money list in 2000. In his rookie season, Hensby did not earn enough money to retain his card and was forced to return to the second tier for 2002, after failing to regain his place at the end of season qualifying school
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
. In 2003, he picked up his third win on the Nationwide Tour and finished 7th on the money list, to graduate directly to the PGA Tour for the second time.
2004 was a breakthrough season for Hensby as he sought to establish himself on the PGA Tour. He collected his first win at the 2004 John Deere Classic
John Deere Classic
The John Deere Classic is an American professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played annually in July, the week before the British Open, at the TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois....
, where he defeated John E. Morgan
John E. Morgan
John Edward Morgan is an English professional golfer. He has previously played on the PGA Tour, and the European Tour, and currently plays on the European Challenge Tour.-Career:...
in a sudden-death playoff, and also had several other top 10 finishes on his way to 15th place on the end of season money list. The following season, he made an impact in the majors
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
, finishing tied for 5th at the Masters, tied for 3rd in the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, and tied for 15th in the British Open
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
.
A car accident early in 2006 severely limited Hensby's ability to compete that year, but he came back in 2007 to finish just outside the top 100 on the PGA Tour money list and secure his card for following season. His struggles were not over however and in 2008, he slipped outside the top 150 to lose his fully exempt status.
Hensby won the Scandinavian Masters on the European Tour in 2005, and has also featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
.
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Jul 2004 2004 PGA Tour The 2004 PGA Tour season was played from January 8 to November 7. The season consisted of 48 official money events. Vijay Singh won the most tournaments, nine, and there were 10 first-time winners. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.-Tournament results:The following... |
John Deere Classic John Deere Classic The John Deere Classic is an American professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played annually in July, the week before the British Open, at the TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.... |
Playoff |  John E. MorganJohn E. Morgan John Edward Morgan is an English professional golfer. He has previously played on the PGA Tour, and the European Tour, and currently plays on the European Challenge Tour.-Career:... |
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 Jul 2005 2005 European Tour The 2005 European Tour was the 34th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2005 season consisted of 47 official money events, which was a new record total. This included four major championships and three World Golf Championships, which were also sanctioned by the PGA Tour... |
Scandinavian Masters by Carlsberg | Playoff |  Henrik StensonHenrik Stenson Henrik Stenson is a Swedish professional golfer who plays both on the US and European tours. He has spent over 100 weeks ranked in the World top ten and his career high ranking of fourth is the best by any Swedish golfer.-Career:... |
Nationwide Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Aug 1998 | NIKE Fort Smith Classic | 2 strokes |  Woody AustinWoody Austin Albert Woody Austin II is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.Austin was born in Tampa, Florida. He attended the University of Miami, where he was a member of the golf team coached by Norman C. Parsons Jr... |
|
| 2 | 6 May 2000 2000 Buy.com Tour The 2000 Buy.com Tour season ran from February 3 to October 29. The season consisted of 30 official money golf tournaments, of which 29 were played in the United States The top 15 players on the year-end money list earned their PGA Tour card for 2001.... |
BUY.COM Carolina Classic | Playoff |  Manny Zerman |
|
| 3 | 23 May 2003 2003 Nationwide Tour The 2003 Nationwide Tour season ran from February 27 to November 2. The season consisted of 30 official money golf tournaments; four of which were played outside of the United States... |
Henrico County Open Henrico County Open The Henrico County Open was a golf tournament on the Nationwide Tour from 1993 to 2008. It was played at The Dominion Club in Richmond, Virginia, USA.The 2008 purse was $500,000, with $90,000 going to the winner.-Winners:Henrico County Open... |
Playoff | Zach Johnson Zach Johnson Zach Johnson is an American golfer, winner of the 2007 Masters Tournament.Zach Johnson may also refer to:* Zack "Jick" Johnson, one of the creators of Kingdom of Loathing* Zachary Johnson, former drummer for The Fray... |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters The Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year... |
DNP | T5 | T22 | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | T3 | CUT | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | T15 | T22 | CUT |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
T68 | T59 | DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
- Presidents CupPresidents CupThe Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world less Europe. Europe competes against the U.S. in a similar but considerably older event, the Ryder Cup. The Presidents Cup is held biennially...
(International Team): 20052005 Presidents Cup18½ United States – 15½ InternationalThe 6th Presidents Cup Matches were held in 2005 between September 20 and September 25. They were played at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, USA. The United States team won the competition by a margin of 18½–15½. The honorary chairmen... - WGC-World CupWGC-World CupThe World Cup is a men's golf tournament contested by teams of two representing their country. Only one team is allowed from each country. The players are selected on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking, although not all of the first choice players choose to compete...
(representing Australia): 2005