Mark O’Meara is calling it a career and he’s doing it where he enjoyed some of his finest moments.
The 2015 Golf Hall of Fame inductee announced Monday on Golf Channel he was retiring after this week’s Pure Insurance Championship on the PGA Tour Champions at Pebble Beach Golf Links. He won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am five times.
O’Meara is a 16-time PGA Tour winner and two-time major champion, winning the Masters and Open Championship in 1998 as his final PGA Tour victories. He played in 674 events on the PGA Tour, making the cut 444 times and amassing more than $14 million in career earnings.
This week will mark O’Meara’s 284th start on PGA Tour Champions, where he has three victories, his last coming in 2019. He has one senior major, the 2010 Senior Players Championship.
O’Meara was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and took up golf at 13 years old when he lived in Mission Viejo, California. He was an All-American at Long Beach State and won the U.S. Amateur in 1979.
His first PGA Tour victory came in 1984 at the Greater Milwaukee Open. Then in 1998, he finally got his first major, capturing the green jacket at Augusta National in the Masters. Later that year, he added the Claret Jug to his trophy case, winning at Royal Birkdale. He’s one of 16 golfers to claim two majors in one season with the Open being one of them.
He announced on the Friday of the 2018 Masters after missing the cut that it was his last Masters, 20 years after he won his green jacket.
O’Meara developed a strong relationship with Tiger Woods in the latter stages of his career while Woods was just beginning. Woods slid the green jacket on O’Meara’s shoulders after his ’97 victory at the Masters.
He reached a high of No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking in that 1998 season. For his career, he totaled 34 professional victories. He won five European Tour events, two on the Japan Golf Tour and numerous others.
O’Meara earned PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors in 1981 and then was named PGA Tour Player of the Year in 1998.
Here’s a look at Mark O’Meara’s career in photos.
Mark O'Meara tees off during the Par 3 Contest at The Masters golf tournament at Augusta…Masters Champion Mark O'Meara poses for a photo with boys 10-11 division winner Neal Manutai during…Mark O'Meara plays a shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the 2014…Mark O'Meara plays the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Photo…Former Open Champions David Duval, Justin Leonard, Tiger Woods and Mark O'Meara of the USA walk…Mark O'Meara of the US (R), the 1998 Masters Champion, points out part of the course…1999 Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal get his green jacket from 1998 champion Mark O'Meara at…Mark O'Meara hits a tee shot during the first round of the Chubb Classic held at…Mark O'Meara reacts to making a birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the 1998…SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND - JULY 20: Mark O'Meara of the United States hits the opening tee shot…Vijay Singh of Fiji and Mark O'Meara of the United States walk together during a practice…Mark O'Meara tips his hat after making birdie on the 18th hole during the first round…Mark O'Meara from the USA holds up the cup on the18th green, Sunday, July 19, 1998…Mark O'Meara of the United States plays from a bunker on the 11th hole during the…Mark O'Meara watches his shot to the 17th green during the first round of the U.S.…Tiger Woods, left, walks to the 12th tee with Mark O'Meara during a practice round for…Mark O'Meara during the second round of the 2013 U.S. Senior Open at Omaha (Neb.) CC.Mark O'Meara hits from off the left side of the 18th fairway during the first round…Mark O'Meara (right) with caddie Paul Henderson at Augusta National.Mark O'Meara leads the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am by one shot over Nick Price and Mike Reid.“Winning with Nick (Price), that was a win, but it was a team win. Not to…Mark O'Meara (L) gets the Green Jacket from Tiger Woods, the defending Masters champion, 12 April…Mark O'Meara of the US reacts to making a birdie putt on the 18th hole to…Mark O'Meara made some headlines of his own Friday with a second-round 68 at the Masters.Mark O'Meara, the 1998 Masters champion, posted an ace on the second hole during the Par…Mark O'Meara with his son Shaun O'Meara out for a practice round on Wednesday of the…Mark O'Meara lines up his putt during round 2 at Augusta National Country Club. Mandatory Credit:…
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