Mark Calcavecchia
Introduction
Mark John Calcavecchia (born June 12, 1960) 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 (NCAA) competition from 1978 to 1980. Calcavecchia earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) 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 (the "British Open"), 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 (whose Italian surname translates as "old crowd") 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 (1989, 1992, 2001), 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 (he started his round on the 10th 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)
| Legend |
| Major championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (12) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 28, 1986 | Southwest Golf Classic | −13 (68-70-66-71=275) | 3 strokes | Tom Byrum |
| 2 | Mar 8, 1987 | Honda Classic | −9 (69-72-68-70=279) | 3 strokes | Bernhard Langer, Payne Stewart |
| 3 | Sep 18, 1988 | Bank of Boston Classic | −10 (71-67-70-66=274) | 1 stroke | Don Pooley |
| 4 | Jan 22, 1989 | Phoenix Open | −21 (66-68-65-64=263) | 7 strokes | Chip Beck |
| 5 | Feb 5, 1989 | Nissan Los Angeles Open | −12 (68-66-70-68=272) | 1 stroke | Sandy Lyle |
| 6 | Jul 23, 1989 | The Open Championship | −13 (71-68-68-68=275) | Playoff | Wayne Grady, Greg Norman |
| 7 | Jan 26, 1992 | Phoenix Open | −20 (69-65-67-63=264) | 5 strokes | Duffy Waldorf |
| 8 | May 7, 1995 | BellSouth Classic | −17 (67-69-69-66=271) | 2 strokes | Jim Gallagher Jr. |
| 9 | Aug 24, 1997 | Greater Vancouver Open | −19 (68-66-65-66=265) | 1 stroke | Andrew Magee |
| 10 | Mar 15, 1998 | Honda Classic | −18 (70-67-68-65=270) | 3 strokes | Vijay Singh |
| 11 | Jan 28, 2001 | Phoenix Open | −28 (65-60-64-67=256) | 8 strokes | Rocco Mediate |
| 12 | Sep 11, 2005 | Bell Canadian Open | −5 (65-67-72-71=275) | 1 stroke | Ben Crane, Ryan Moore |
| 13 | Mar 11, 2007 | PODS Championship | −10 (75-67-62-70=274) | 1 stroke | John Senden, Heath Slocum |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–4)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1987 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | Fred Couples | Lost to par on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1989 | The Open Championship | Wayne Grady, Greg Norman | Won four-hole aggregate playoff; Calcavecchia: −2 (4-3-3-3=13), Grady: +1 (4-4-4-4=16), Norman: x (3-3-4-x=x) |
| 3 | 1990 | Doral-Ryder Open | Paul Azinger, Greg Norman, Tim Simpson |
Norman won with eagle on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1993 | Greater Milwaukee Open | Billy Mayfair, Ted Schulz | Mayfair won with birdie on fourth extra hole Schulz eliminated with par on first hole |
| 5 | 2005 | Chrysler Classic of Tucson | Kevin Na, Geoff Ogilvy | Ogilvy won with birdie on second extra hole Calcavecchia eliminated with par on first hole |
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
| Legend |
| Australian Opens (1) |
| Other PGA Tour of Australasia (0) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 27, 1988 | National Panasonic Australian Open | −19 (67-67-66-69=269) | 6 strokes | Mark McCumber |
Other wins (10)
- 1989 Spalding Invitational
- 1993 Argentine Open
- 1995 Argentine Open, Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (with Steve Elkington)
- 1997 Subaru Sarazen World Open
- 1999 Diners Club Matches (with Fred Couples)
- 2001 CVS Charity Classic (with Nick Price), Hyundai Team Matches (with Fred Couples)
- 2004 Maekyung Open
- 2007 Merrill Lynch Shootout (with Woody Austin)
PGA Tour Champions wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 28, 2011 | Boeing Classic | −14 (70-67-65=202) | Playoff | Russ Cochran |
| 2 | Jun 24, 2012 | Montreal Championship | −16 (69-67-64=200) | 4 strokes | Brad Bryant |
| 3 | Jun 7, 2015 | Principal Charity Classic | −12 (67-68-69=204) | 1 stroke | Joe Durant, Brian Henninger |
| 4 | Feb 11, 2018 | Boca Raton Championship | −16 (64-66-70=200) | 2 strokes | Bernhard Langer |
PGA Tour Champions playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011 | Boeing Classic | Russ Cochran | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Other senior wins (1)
- 2011 Nedbank Champions Challenge
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Open Championship | 3 shot deficit | −13 (71-68-68-68=275) | Playoff | Wayne Grady, Greg Norman |
Defeated Grady and Norman in a four-hole aggregate playoff: Calcavecchia (4-3-3-3=13), Grady (4-4-4-4=16), Norman (3-3-4-x)
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T17 | 2 | T31 | |
| U.S. Open | 14 | T17 | T62 | T61 |
| The Open Championship | T11 | CUT | 1 | |
| PGA Championship | CUT | T17 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T20 | T12 | T31 | T17 | CUT | T41 | T15 | T17 | T16 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T37 | T33 | T25 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | T28 | T14 | T11 | T24 | T41 | T10 | T35 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | CUT | T32 | T48 | T31 | CUT | CUT | T36 | T23 | T44 | T61 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T4 | CUT | CUT | T20 | CUT | |||||
| U.S. Open | T24 | CUT | T20 | T20 | CUT | WD | ||||
| The Open Championship | T26 | T54 | T80 | CUT | T11 | T60 | T41 | T23 | CUT | T27 |
| PGA Championship | T34 | T4 | 7 | T39 | DQ | T70 | WD | CUT | T63 |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | |||||||||
| The Open Championship | 73 | CUT | T9 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship |
DQ = Disqualified
WD = Withdrew
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 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 13 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 10 |
| The Open Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 30 | 19 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 14 |
| Totals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 29 | 89 | 56 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 9 (1991 PGA – 1993 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (seven times)
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T50 | T64 | CUT | 2 | CUT | 73 | CUT | T23 | T18 | T29 | T24 | 4 | T10 | CUT | CUT | T69 | T11 | T66 | T12 | 72 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in senior major championships
Results are not in chronological order prior to 2017.
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tradition | T4 | T5 | T18 | T12 | 2 | T52 | T33 | WD | WD | T57 |
| Senior PGA Championship | T13 | T12 | CUT | T15 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | ||
| U.S. Senior Open | T24 | 3 | T12 | T54 | CUT | CUT | T51 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| Senior Players Championship | WD | 12 | T4 | T9 | WD | T20 | T76 | T41 | T32 | T46 |
| Senior British Open Championship | T14 | 2 | T10 | T65 | T51 | 70 | T24 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1987, 1989 (tie), 1991 (winners), 2002
- Four Tours World Championship: 1987 (winners), 1989 (winners), 1990
- Dunhill Cup: 1989 (winners), 1990
- Presidents Cup: 1998
- UBS Warburg Cup: 2001 (winners)
- Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge: 2001 (PGA Tour), 2003 (PGA Tour, winners), 2005 (PGA Tour), 2011 (Champions Tour, winners)