Introduction
Mark William McNulty (born 24 March 1953) is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the PGA Tour Champions. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, and featured in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.
McNulty was born in Bindura, Southern Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe). He was raised on a farm in the Centenary area of Zimbabwe. His step-father was an amateur pilot who had an airstrip on the farm. When his step-father was diagnosed with epilepsy, he was forced to give up flying. He converted the airstrip into a three-hole golf course, where Mark first learned to play golf.
McNulty became an Irish citizen in 2003 at the age of 50. He was eligible to do so because his maternal grandmother was born in Ballymena in Northern Ireland. He stated that his reason for doing so was his concern that as a non-resident Zimbabwean it could take him up to two years to get his passport renewed if he lost it. Commentators elaborated that the farm that his family had been managing for 40-something years had been confiscated by the Mugabe regime. He lives in Sunningdale, England.
Career
After a successful amateur career, McNulty began his professional career on the Southern African Tour (now the Sunshine Tour) and also played on the European Tour starting in 1978. His first professional win was the 1979 Holiday Inns Royal Swazi Sun Open in South Africa. By 1986 he was a dominant player on the Southern African Tour, picking up seven official wins in that year and also winning South Africa's most lucrative event, the Million Dollar Challenge. In the same year he finished in the top ten on the European Tour's Order of Merit for the first time, placing sixth. He had six top ten European Order of Merit finishes in total, including second places in 1987 and 1990. The last of these was in 1996, when he came fifth. His win tally on the European Tour was sixteen, including the 1996 Volvo Masters, which was the European equivalent of the PGA Tour's Tour Championship. He won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit nine times: 1980/81, 1981/82, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1992/93, 1996/97, 1997/98, 2000/01.
When McNulty turned fifty and became eligible to play senior golf he chose to take part in the U.S.-based Champions Tour. His first full season in 2004 was highly successful with three wins (including the Charles Schwab Cup Championship) and a seventh-place finish on the money list. In 2007 he won the JELD-WEN Tradition, one of the five major championships on the over-50 tour. It was McNulty's sixth career win on the Champions Tour. His seventh win came in 2009 at the Principal Charity Classic with a playoff win over Nick Price and Fred Funk.
McNulty lists his interests as piano, fine arts, scuba activities, underwater photography, and shark diving.
McNulty is the Director of the Mark McNulty Junior Golf Foundation, a non-profit organisation whose objective is to use golf as a medium to improve a child's development on and off the golf course, while growing the game of golf.
Amateur wins (2)
- 1974 Rhodesia Amateur Championship
- 1977 South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship
Professional wins (59)
European Tour wins (16)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Jun 1979 | Greater Manchester Open | −13 (64-66-71-66=267) | 5 strokes | Manuel Piñero |
| 2 | 24 Aug 1980 | Braun German Open | −8 (71-70-70-69=280) | 1 stroke | Tony Charnley, Neil Coles |
| 3 | 26 Oct 1986 | Portuguese Open | −18 (66-69-69-66=270) | 1 stroke | Ian Mosey |
| 4 | 31 May 1987 | London Standard Four Stars National Pro-Celebrity | −15 (70-67-69-67=273) | Playoff | Sam Torrance |
| 5 | 7 Jun 1987 | Dunhill British Masters | −14 (71-65-71-67=274) | 1 stroke | Ian Woosnam |
| 6 | 30 Aug 1987 | German Open | −25 (65-66-65-63=259) | 3 strokes | Antonio Garrido |
| 7 | 17 Apr 1988 | Cannes Open | −9 (72-71-70-66=279) | 3 strokes | Ron Commans, Joey Sindelar |
| 8 | 8 Jul 1989 | Torras Monte Carlo Open | −15 (68-64-64-65=261) | 6 strokes | José Maria Cañizares, Jeff Hawkes |
| 9 | 16 Apr 1990 | Credit Lyonnais Cannes Open | −8 (69-71-69-71=280) | 1 stroke | Ronan Rafferty |
| 10 | 26 Aug 1990 | Volvo German Open | −18 (67-68-70-65=270) | 3 strokes | Craig Parry |
| 11 | 25 Aug 1991 | Volvo German Open | −15 (68-67-72-66=273) | Playoff | Paul Broadhurst |
| 12 | 7 Aug 1994 | BMW International Open | −14 (70-71-68-65=274) | 1 stroke | Seve Ballesteros |
| 13 | 11 Feb 1996 | Dimension Data Pro-Am | −6 (69-67-73-73=282) | 4 strokes | Brenden Pappas, Nick Price, Ricky Willison |
| 14 | 28 Jul 1996 | Sun Microsystems Dutch Open | −18 (67-65-66-68=266) | 1 stroke | Scott Hoch |
| 15 | 27 Oct 1996 | Volvo Masters | −8 (72-69-67-68=276) | 7 strokes | José Cóceres, Sam Torrance, Wayne Westner, Lee Westwood |
| 16 | 28 Jan 2001 | Mercedes-Benz South African Open | −8 (69-71-69-71=280) | 1 stroke | Justin Rose |
Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour
European Tour playoff record (2–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1987 | London Standard Four Stars National Pro-Celebrity | Sam Torrance | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1990 | Wang Four Stars | Michael Clayton, Rodger Davis, Bill Malley |
Davis won with birdie on seventh extra hole Malley and McNulty eliminated by par on first hole |
| 3 | 1991 | Volvo German Open | Paul Broadhurst | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1993 | Air France Cannes Open | Rodger Davis | Lost to par on first extra hole |
Sunshine Tour wins (33)
- 1979 (1) Holiday Inns Royal Swazi Sun Open
- 1981 (1) SAB South African Masters
- 1982 (4) SISA Classic, SAB Masters, Sharp Electronics Classic, Sun City Classic
- 1984 (1) Pan Am Wild Coast Sun Classic
- 1985 (3) Palabora Classic, Hollard Royal Swazi Sun Open, Safmarine Masters
- 1986 (7) Safmarine Masters, Wild Coast Classic, Barclays Bank Classic, Swazi Sun Pro Am, Trustbank Tournament of Champions, Helix Wild Coast Classic, Germiston Centenary Tournament
- 1987 (4) Southern Suns South African Open, AECI Charity Classic, Royal Swazi Sun Pro-Am, Trustbank Tournament of Champion
- 1993 (2) Lexington PGA Championship, FNB Players Championship
- 1996 (2) Dimension Data Pro-Am, Zimbabwe Open
- 1997 (2) San Lameer SA Masters, Nashua Wild Coast Sun Challenge
- 1998 (1) Vodacom Players Championship
- 2000 (1) Stenham Swazi Open
- 2000–01 (3) CABS Old Mutual Zimbabwe Open, Nashua Nedtel Cellular Masters, Mercedes-Benz South African Open
- 2002–03 (1) Vodacom Players Championship
Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
Challenge Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 Jan 1992 | Zimbabwe Open | −16 (72-65-67-68=272) | 9 strokes | Tony Johnstone |
Other wins (3)
- 1980 (1) Malaysian Open
- 1986 (1) Million Dollar Challenge
- 1988 (1) Benson and Hedges Trophy (with Marie-Laure de Lorenzi) (Spain)
Champions Tour wins (8)
| Legend |
| Champions Tour major championships (1) |
| Other Champions Tour (7) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Feb 2004 | Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am | −13 (67-65-68=200) | 1 stroke | Larry Nelson |
| 2 | 17 Oct 2004 | SBC Championship | −18 (67-63-65=195) | 8 strokes | Gary McCord |
| 3 | 24 Oct 2004 | Charles Schwab Cup Championship | −11 (69-74-68-66=177) | 1 stroke | Tom Kite |
| 4 | 26 Jun 2005 | Bank of America Championship | −12 (67-69-68=204) | Playoff | Don Pooley, Tom Purtzer |
| 5 | 16 Oct 2005 | Administaff Small Business Classic | −16 (66-68-66=200) | 1 stroke | Gil Morgan |
| 6 | 19 Aug 2007 | JELD-WEN Tradition | −16 (66-68-70-68=272) | 5 strokes | David Edwards |
| 7 | 31 May 2009 | Principal Charity Classic | −10 (68-69-66=203) | Playoff | Fred Funk, Nick Price |
| 8 | 24 Apr 2011 | Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with David Eger) |
−27 (64-64-61=189) | Playoff | Scott Hoch& Kenny Perry |
Champions Tour playoff record (3–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005 | Bank of America Championship | Don Pooley, Tom Purtzer | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2009 | Principal Charity Classic | Fred Funk, Nick Price | Won with birdie on fourth extra hole Price eliminated with birdie on first hole |
| 3 | 2009 | Senior British Open | Fred Funk, Loren Roberts | Roberts won with par on third extra hole Funk eliminated with birdie on first hole |
| 4 | 2011 | Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with David Eger) |
Scott Hoch & Kenny Perry | Won with par on second extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T16 | CUT | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | T53 | CUT | T50 | CUT | CUT | T35 | T66 | T17 | CUT | |
| The Open Championship | T23 | T23 | T54 | T45 | CUT | T59 | T11 | T28 | T11 | |
| PGA Championship | T54 | T70 | CUT | WD | T17 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T35 | CUT | CUT | |||||||
| U.S. Open | T33 | CUT | T28 | |||||||
| The Open Championship | T2 | T64 | T28 | T14 | T11 | T40 | T14 | 32 | CUT | T37 |
| PGA Championship | T8 | T27 | CUT | T15 | CUT |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||
| U.S. Open | ||||
| The Open Championship | T11 | CUT | T53 | |
| PGA Championship | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 7 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 22 | 19 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 6 |
| Totals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 50 | 34 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 9 (1989 Open Championship – 1993 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1990 Open Championship – 1990 PGA)
Senior major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | JELD-WEN Tradition | −16 (66-68-70-68=272) | 5 strokes | David Edwards |
Senior results timeline
Results not in chronological order before 2017.
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tradition | 8 | T46 | 1 | T25 | T25 | T16 | T59 | T44 | T46 | T29 | T53 | |||||
| Senior PGA Championship | T7 | T6 | T19 | T17 | T34 | T38 | T28 | T48 | T9 | |||||||
| U.S. Senior Open | T19 | T7 | T14 | T18 | 3 | T36 | T48 | T42 | ||||||||
| Senior Players Championship | T9 | T11 | T41 | T31 | T52 | T28 | 77 | T52 | 5 | T54 | ||||||
| Senior British Open Championship | T5 | 8 | T27 | T34 | T16 | T2 | T44 | T18 | T26 | CUT | T31 | CUT | 30 | T60 | T18 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Rhodesia): 1974
Professional
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Zimbabwe): 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
- World Cup (representing Zimbabwe): 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
- Presidents Cup (International team): 1994, 1996
- Alfred Dunhill Challenge (representing Southern Africa): 1995 (winners)
- UBS Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2004