Mark Calcavecchia


Mark John Calcavecchia is an American professional golfer and a former PGA Tour member. During his professional career, he won 13 PGA Tour events, including the 1989 Open Championship. He plays on the Champions Tour as well as a limited PGA Tour schedule that includes The Open Championship.

Early years

Calcavecchia was born in Laurel, Nebraska. While he was a teenager, his family moved from Nebraska to West Palm Beach, Florida in 1973.
He attended North Shore High School in West Palm Beach, and won the Florida high school golf championship in 1977 while playing for the North Shore golf team. While playing in junior tournaments, Calcavecchia often competed against Jack Nicklaus' son, Jackie, and as a result began a lifelong friendship at the age of 14 with the legendary pro.

College career

He accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he played for coach Buster Bishop and coach John Darr's Florida Gators men's golf teams in National Collegiate Athletic Association competition from 1978 to 1980. Calcavecchia earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors in 1979.

Professional career

Calcavecchia turned professional in 1981 and joined the PGA Tour in 1982, but lost his card after the 1985 season. His most notable achievement was in 1989, when he won The Open Championship, one of the four major championships, by beating Wayne Grady and Greg Norman in a four-hole playoff at Royal Troon in Scotland.
Upon being awarded the Open's Claret Jug, Calcavecchia asked "How's my name going to fit on that thing?" He later revealed that he had initially not wanted to play in the Open Championship that year due to his wife expecting their first child, but he was persuaded to fly to Scotland to compete in the tournament by his wife. He also revealed that he didn't know that the Open Championship had a four-hole aggregate playoff format until just before he teed off in the playoff. Calcavecchia shares the record for the lowest back nine in the Masters at 29, in 1992. 1989 was Calcavecchia's only multiple-win season on the PGA Tour, with two other titles complementing the Open. He also finished second behind Sandy Lyle at the 1988 Masters Tournament by a single stroke.
Calcavecchia has won 13 times on the PGA Tour and 13 times in other professional events. He spent 109 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings from 1988-91. In winning the 2001 Phoenix Open, he set the Tour scoring record at that time by making 32 birdies in 72 holes finishing at 28 under par for the tournament. He has won the Phoenix Open three times, and his margins of victory in the Phoenix tournament are also his three largest. He was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 1987, 1989, 1991 and 2002. His performance in 1991 is most remembered, as he lost a four-hole lead to Colin Montgomerie in the last four holes of his round. Thinking he had cost his team the victory, he broke down in tears—not knowing the U.S. team would still win.
On July 25, 2009, Calcavecchia set a PGA Tour record by getting nine consecutive birdies during his second round at the RBC Canadian Open at the Glen Abbey Golf Course in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. The birdies came on the 12th through 18th holes, and then on the first and second hole. The previous record of eight consecutive birdies was held by six golfers including J. P. Hayes, who was one of his partners at the time Calcavecchia achieved the new record.
Calcavecchia joined the Champions Tour in 2010, but still plays a limited PGA Tour schedule that includes The Open Championship. His eligibility for The Open will expire in 2020 after he turns 60, but after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled that tournament, he was grandfathered into the 2021 tournament.

Personal

Calcavecchia has two children, Eric and Britney, with his previous wife Sheryl. He married, secondly, on May 5, 2005 in Lake Como, Italy, to Brenda Nardecchia. He has homes in Jupiter, Florida and Phoenix, Arizona.

Professional wins (29)

PGA Tour wins (13)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Sep 28, 1986Southwest Golf Classic−13 3 strokes Tom Byrum
2Mar 8, 1987Honda Classic−9 3 strokes Bernhard Langer, Payne Stewart
3Sep 18, 1988Bank of Boston Classic−10 1 stroke Don Pooley
4Jan 22, 1989Phoenix Open−21 7 strokes Chip Beck
5Feb 5, 1989Nissan Los Angeles Open−12 1 stroke Sandy Lyle
6Jul 23, 1989The Open Championship−13 Playoff Wayne Grady, Greg Norman
7Jan 26, 1992Phoenix Open −20 5 strokes Duffy Waldorf
8May 7, 1995BellSouth Classic−17 2 strokes Jim Gallagher Jr.
9Aug 24, 1997Greater Vancouver Open−19 1 stroke Andrew Magee
10Mar 15, 1998Honda Classic −18 3 strokes Vijay Singh
11Jan 28, 2001Phoenix Open −28 8 strokes Rocco Mediate
12Sep 11, 2005Bell Canadian Open−5 1 stroke Ben Crane, Ryan Moore
13Mar 11, 2007PODS Championship−10 1 stroke John Senden, Heath Slocum

PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11987Byron Nelson Golf Classic Fred CouplesLost to par on third extra hole
21989The Open Championship Wayne Grady, Greg NormanWon four-hole aggregate playoff;
Calcavecchia: −2,
Grady: +1,
Norman: x
31990Doral-Ryder Open Paul Azinger, Greg Norman,
Tim Simpson		Norman won with eagle on first extra hole
41993Greater Milwaukee Open Billy Mayfair, Ted SchulzMayfair won with birdie on fourth extra hole
Schulz eliminated with par on first hole
52005Chrysler Classic of Tucson Kevin Na, Geoff OgilvyOgilvy won with birdie on second extra hole
Calcavecchia eliminated with par on first hole

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Nov 27, 1988National Panasonic Australian Open−19 6 strokes Mark McCumber

Korean Tour wins (1)

South American Tour wins (2)

PGA Tour Champions playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
12011Boeing Classic Russ CochranWon with birdie on first extra hole

Other senior wins (1)

Wins (1)

1Defeated Grady and Norman in a four-hole aggregate playoff: Calcavecchia, Grady, Norman

Results timeline

DQ = Disqualified

WD = Withdrew

CUT = missed the half-way cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

1Cancelled due to 9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament

Results in senior major championships

Results are not in chronological order prior to 2017.
CUT = missed the halfway cut

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

Professional