Introduction
Mark Adrian Roe (born 20 February 1963) is an English professional golfer, best known for being disqualified from the 2003 Open Championship for a scorecard error.
Roe played for 21 years on the European Tour between 1985 and 2006, winning three tournaments and over £2 million in prize money.
Personal life
Roe was born in Sheffield. At school he was a high-board diving champion but suffered a perforated eardrum, and while convalescing he took up golf.
Career
Roe turned professional in 1981 and became a member of the European Tour in 1985 having been successful at the final qualifying school at his fourth attempt. He won three times on the tour, and his best position on the Order of Merit was 9th, which he achieved in 1994 when he won the highly prestigious Open de France and had several other top 10 finishes.
Roe represented England in the Alfred Dunhill Cup in 1994, and in the World Cup in 1989, 1994 and 1995.
Roe retired from tournament golf in 2006, signing off with a 67 on the Old Course at St Andrews in the final round of the Dunhill Links Championship. He now works as a commentator for Sky Sports. He is also a highly respected coach, specialising on the short game, and counts Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher amongst the list of those he has helped.
Accidents
In 1995 Roe was hit on the head by a stray golf ball which resulted in severe headaches. In July 1999 he tore ligaments in the ring and little fingers of his left hand after grabbing the collar of his dog, which resulted in 20 months out of the game.
2003 Open Championship
Roe was just two strokes off the lead after the third round of the 2003 Open Championship when he was disqualified. He and his playing partner, Jesper Parnevik, had failed to swap their scorecards before play, meaning that both players had ended up signing for the wrong scores which resulted in their automatic disqualification. The sport's governing body, The R&A, have since changed the rules, and failure to exchange scorecards no longer results in disqualification.
Professional wins
European Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Mar 1989 | Massimo Dutti Catalan Open | −13 (69-70-69-71=279) | 1 stroke | Gordon Brand, Jnr, Colin Montgomerie, José María Olazábal |
| 2 | 20 Sep 1992 | Lancome Trophy | −13 (67-69-66-65=267) | 2 strokes | Vicente Fernández |
| 3 | 26 Jun 1994 | Peugeot Open de France | −14 (70-71-67-66=274) | 1 stroke | Gabriel Hjertstedt |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | ||||||||||||||||
| U.S. Open | T13 | ||||||||||||||||
| The Open Championship | T17 | CUT | T52 | T16 | CUT | CUT | T24 | T67 | CUT | CUT | CUT | DQ |
Note: Roe never played in the PGA Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DQ = Disqualified
"T" = tied
Team appearances
- World Cup (representing England): 1989, 1994, 1995
- Dunhill Cup (representing England): 1994