Tim Clark
Encyclopedia
Timothy Henry Clark is a South African professional golfer whose biggest win to date is The Players Championship
in 2010.
Clark was born in Durban
, South Africa. He took up golf at the age of three and was taught to play by his father. He attended North Carolina State University
in the United States, where he had a successful college golf career, winning ACC Player of the Year in 1997. During this time he won the 1997 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship
to qualify for his first major, the 1998 Masters Tournament.
Clark turned professional later in 1998, and initially played on the second tier U.S. professional tour
, which was then known as the Nike Tour, where he won two tournaments in 2000 to gain membership of the main PGA Tour
for 2001. His 2001 campaign was cut short by a wrist injury after just three events. He made a comeback in 2002, and had the benefit of a major medical exemption which enabled him to enter enough events to comfortably regain full exemption for 2003. He captured his first PGA Tour victory at the 2010 Players Championship
, becoming only the second golfer to make the Players his first Tour victory. He has had three European Tour victories. He finished sole second at the 2006 Masters Tournament and sole or tied third at the 2003 PGA Championship
and the 2005 U.S. Open
.
Clark was a member of the International Team, captained by fellow South African Gary Player
in two of three appearances, in the 2003, 2005 and 2009 Presidents Cup
. Player dubbed him the teams "bull dog" in reference to his dogged determination and refusal to give in or let go.
In 2005 he reached the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings
for the first time. He won the Sunshine Tour
Order of Merit in the 2001/02 season. He has played Gary Player's annual charity event in South Africa to help raise funds for needy children and personally paid for a little girl's cochlear ear transplant in order that she could hear after winning the event in 2005.
In Australia for a three-tournament swing, he won the 2008 Australian Open
in a playoff with Mathew Goggin
when they were both tied at 9 under par. Neither seemed to have a chance with 4 holes to play when David Smail
led at 12 under only to double bogey the next two holes. It was a very blustery day causing havoc to many golfers.
In May 2009, Clark nearly had his first PGA Tour
victory in hand at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
, but he bogeyed the 18th hole to force a playoff. On the first hole of that playoff, he missed a 7-footer which would have given him the victory. Then, on the second playoff hole, he and Steve Marino
lost to Steve Stricker
.
In May 2010, Clark picked up his first PGA Tour title in his 206th start, after eight runner-up finishes, at the 2010 Players Championship
. Clark came from three behind with a final round 67 to win by a stroke over Robert Allenby
.
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Yellow background for top-10.
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
The Players Championship
The Players Championship is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour.Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, the inaugural event in 1974 was played at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia before moving to the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas in 1975 and Inverrary...
in 2010.
Clark was born in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa. He took up golf at the age of three and was taught to play by his father. He attended North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
in the United States, where he had a successful college golf career, winning ACC Player of the Year in 1997. During this time he won the 1997 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship
U.S. Amateur Public Links
The U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, is a men's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the United States Golf Association. The USGA typically calls the event the U.S. Amateur Public Links, which...
to qualify for his first major, the 1998 Masters Tournament.
Clark turned professional later in 1998, and initially played on the second tier U.S. professional tour
Professional golf tours
Professional golf tours are the means by which otherwise unconnected professional golf tournaments are organised into a regular schedule. There are separate tours for men and women, with each tour being based in a specific geographical region, although some of their tournaments may be held in other...
, which was then known as the Nike Tour, where he won two tournaments in 2000 to gain membership of the main 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 2001. His 2001 campaign was cut short by a wrist injury after just three events. He made a comeback in 2002, and had the benefit of a major medical exemption which enabled him to enter enough events to comfortably regain full exemption for 2003. He captured his first PGA Tour victory at the 2010 Players Championship
2010 Players Championship
The 2010 Players Championship was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was contested from May 6–9. It was the 37th Players Championship. Tim Clark won the tournament with a Sunday 67 for his first PGA Tour victory....
, becoming only the second golfer to make the Players his first Tour victory. He has had three European Tour victories. He finished sole second at the 2006 Masters Tournament and sole or tied third at the 2003 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...
and the 2005 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...
.
Clark was a member of the International Team, captained by fellow South African Gary Player
Gary Player
Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
in two of three appearances, in the 2003, 2005 and 2009 Presidents Cup
Presidents Cup
The 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...
. Player dubbed him the teams "bull dog" in reference to his dogged determination and refusal to give in or let go.
In 2005 he reached the top 20 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...
for the first time. He won the Sunshine Tour
Sunshine Tour
The Sunshine Tour is a men's professional golf tour based in Southern Africa. For much of its history it was known either as the South African Tour or the FNB Tour, but it rebranded itself in an attempt to broaden its appeal...
Order of Merit in the 2001/02 season. He has played Gary Player's annual charity event in South Africa to help raise funds for needy children and personally paid for a little girl's cochlear ear transplant in order that she could hear after winning the event in 2005.
In Australia for a three-tournament swing, he won the 2008 Australian Open
Australian Open (golf)
The Australian Open is one of the principal annual golf tournaments on the PGA Tour of Australasia, and also the OneAsia Tour since its formation in 2009. The event was first played in 1904 and takes place toward the end of each year...
in a playoff with Mathew Goggin
Mathew Goggin
Mathew Charles Goggin is an Australian professional golfer.As an amateur, Goggin won the 1995 Australian Amateur, played at Huntingdale Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, 2 & 1 over American Jamie Crow...
when they were both tied at 9 under par. Neither seemed to have a chance with 4 holes to play when David Smail
David Smail (golfer)
David Smail is a professional golfer from New Zealand.He was born in and resides in Hamilton, New Zealand. He won the New Zealand Open in 2001. He has won five titles on the Japan Golf Tour and has featured in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
led at 12 under only to double bogey the next two holes. It was a very blustery day causing havoc to many golfers.
In May 2009, Clark nearly had his first 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...
victory in hand at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial is a regular golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It has been played annually in May in Fort Worth, Texas on the course at the Colonial Country Club. It is one of five invitational tournaments held on the PGA Tour...
, but he bogeyed the 18th hole to force a playoff. On the first hole of that playoff, he missed a 7-footer which would have given him the victory. Then, on the second playoff hole, he and Steve Marino
Steve Marino
Stephen Paul Marino, Jr. is an American professional golfer, a member of the PGA Tour since 2007.-Early life, education, early golf:...
lost to Steve Stricker
Steve Stricker
Steven Stricker is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He has won 11 tournaments on the PGA Tour including the 2001 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and two FedEx Cup playoff events. His most successful season on tour came in 2009, when he had three tournament victories...
.
In May 2010, Clark picked up his first PGA Tour title in his 206th start, after eight runner-up finishes, at the 2010 Players Championship
2010 Players Championship
The 2010 Players Championship was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was contested from May 6–9. It was the 37th Players Championship. Tim Clark won the tournament with a Sunday 67 for his first PGA Tour victory....
. Clark came from three behind with a final round 67 to win by a stroke over Robert Allenby
Robert Allenby
Robert Allenby is an Australian professional golfer.Allenby was born in Melbourne, Australia. His father was from Leeds, England and emigrated to Australia as a young man.-Professional career:...
.
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 May 2010 2010 PGA Tour The 2010 PGA Tour season ran from January 7 to November 14. The season consisted of 46 official money events. This included four major championships and three World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the European Tour.-Schedule:... |
The Players Championship The Players Championship The Players Championship is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour.Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, the inaugural event in 1974 was played at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia before moving to the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas in 1975 and Inverrary... |
1 stroke |  Robert AllenbyRobert Allenby Robert Allenby is an Australian professional golfer.Allenby was born in Melbourne, Australia. His father was from Leeds, England and emigrated to Australia as a young man.-Professional career:... |
European Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 Jan 2002 2002 European Tour The 2002 European Tour was the 31st season of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2002 season consisted of 45 official money events, which included the four major championships and three World Golf Championships which were also sanctioned by the PGA Tour... |
Bell's South African Open | 2 strokes |  Steve WebsterSteve Webster Steve Webster is an English professional golfer.Webster was born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. He finished tied for 24th place in the 1995 Open Championship at St Andrews, winning the silver medal as low amateur ahead of Tiger Woods. He turned professional later that year.Webster won the 1995... |
|
| 2 | 23 Jan 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... |
South African Airways Open | 6 strokes |  Grégory HavretGregory Havret Grégory Havret is a French professional golfer.Havret won the French Amateur Championship three years in a row from 1997 to 1999, and in 1999 he won the European Amateur. He also won a minor professional tournament as an amateur, the 1998 Omnium National.Havret turned professional in 1999 and won... ,  Charl SchwartzelCharl Schwartzel Charl Adriaan Schwartzel is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and the Sunshine Tour. He won the 2011 Masters Tournament. Schwartzel's highest world ranking has been number seven, in May 2011.... |
|
| 3 | 7 Jul 2005 | Barclays Scottish Open | 2 strokes |  Darren ClarkeDarren Clarke Darren Christopher Clarke is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the European Tour and has previously played on the PGA Tour. He has won 22 tournaments worldwide on a number of golf's main tours including the European Tour, the PGA Tour, the Sunshine Tour and the... ,  Maarten LafeberMaarten Lafeber Maarten Lafeber is a Dutch professional golfer who won the Dutch, Swiss and Spanish amateur championships before turning professional in 1997.... |
Sunshine Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 Jan 2002 | Bell's South African Open | 2 strokes | Steve Webster Steve Webster Steve Webster is an English professional golfer.Webster was born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. He finished tied for 24th place in the 1995 Open Championship at St Andrews, winning the silver medal as low amateur ahead of Tiger Woods. He turned professional later that year.Webster won the 1995... |
|
| 2 | 23 Jan 2005 | South African Airways Open | 6 strokes | Grégory Havret Gregory Havret Grégory Havret is a French professional golfer.Havret won the French Amateur Championship three years in a row from 1997 to 1999, and in 1999 he won the European Amateur. He also won a minor professional tournament as an amateur, the 1998 Omnium National.Havret turned professional in 1999 and won... , Charl SchwartzelCharl Schwartzel Charl Adriaan Schwartzel is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and the Sunshine Tour. He won the 2011 Masters Tournament. Schwartzel's highest world ranking has been number seven, in May 2011.... |
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Dec 2008 2008 PGA Tour of Australasia The 2008 PGA Tour of Australasia was a series of men's professional golf events played mainly in Australia and New Zealand. The main tournaments on the PGA Tour of Australasia are played in the southern summer so they are split between the first and last months of the year... |
Australian Open Australian Open (golf) The Australian Open is one of the principal annual golf tournaments on the PGA Tour of Australasia, and also the OneAsia Tour since its formation in 2009. The event was first played in 1904 and takes place toward the end of each year... |
Playoff | Mathew Goggin Mathew Goggin Mathew Charles Goggin is an Australian professional golfer.As an amateur, Goggin won the 1995 Australian Amateur, played at Huntingdale Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, 2 & 1 over American Jamie Crow... |
Nationwide Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 Aug 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 Fort Smith Classic | 3 strokes |  Lee RinkerLee Rinker Lee Cross Rinker is an American professional golfer.Rinker was born in Stuart, Florida. He played college golf at the University of Alabama and turned professional in 1983... |
|
| 2 | 17 Sep 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 Boise Open | 6 strokes | Patrick Burke, Steve Haskins Steve Haskins Steve Haskins is an American professional golfer who plays on the Champions Tour.Haskins joined the Nationwide Tour in 1990 and won his first event the following year at the Ben Hogan New England Classic. He won his second event on Tour at the BUY.COM Ozarks Open in 2001... |
Other wins (2)
- 2005 Nelson Mandela InvitationalNelson Mandela InvitationalThe Nelson Mandela Invitational was a charity golf tournament conceptualised by Marc Player, CEO of Black Knight International, which took place annually in South Africa from 2000 until 2006. It was named in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela, and hosted by South Africa's most...
(unofficial money event in South Africa; with Vincent TshabalalaVincent TshabalalaVincent Vesele Tshabalala is a South African professional golfer.Tshabalala was born in Johannesburg and worked as a mechanic before his golf career took over...
) - 2006 CVS/pharmacy Charity Classic (with Nick PriceNick PriceNicholas Raymond Leige Price is a South African-Zimbabwean Professional golfer and an inductee in the World Golf Hall of Fame. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.-Background:...
; unofficial event)
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | 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 | 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 | DNP |
| 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... |
DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | T13 | CUT | T39 | 2 | T13 | CUT | T13 |
| 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 | DNP | DNP | CUT | T13 | T3 | CUT | T17 | T48 | T40 |
| 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 | DNP | CUT | DNP | CUT | T23 | T56 | DNP | CUT | 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... |
DNP | DNP | T53 | 3 | CUT | T17 | T24 | CUT | T55 | T16 |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | CUT |
| 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... |
T12 | 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... |
CUT | DNP |
| 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... |
T39 | DNP |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Yellow background for top-10.
Results in World Golf Championship events
| Tournament | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accenture Match Play Championship WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is one of the annual World Golf Championships. It is a knockout event and is staged in January or February each year... |
DNP | R64 | DNP | R64 | R64 | R32 | R64 |
| Cadillac Championship | 62 | DNP | DNP | T18 | T26 | T63 | T12 |
| Bridgestone Invitational WGC-Bridgestone Invitational The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is one of the annual World Golf Championships for male professional golfers. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on both the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour... |
DNP | T64 | T48 | T51 | 74 | T6 | T20 |
| Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accenture Match Play Championship WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is one of the annual World Golf Championships. It is a knockout event and is staged in January or February each year... |
R16 | R16 | DNP |
| Cadillac Championship | 27 | T22 | DNP |
| Bridgestone Invitational WGC-Bridgestone Invitational The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is one of the annual World Golf Championships for male professional golfers. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on both the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour... |
T29 | T58 | DNP |
| HSBC Champions | DNP | T25 | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
Team appearances
- 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 South Africa): 2002, 2005 - 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): 20032003 Presidents CupUnited States 17 - International 17The 5th Presidents Cup Matches were held in 2003 between November 20 and November 23. They were played at the Links Course at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate in George, Western Cape, South Africa. The United States and International team tied the...
(tie), 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...
, 20092009 Presidents CupUnited States 19½ - International 14½The 8th Presidents Cup Matches were held October 8–11, 2009 at the Harding Park Golf Club in San Francisco, California. The United States team won the golf competition by a margin of 19½–14½, their second consecutive win by that exact score and third in a row...