Mark_Hensby
Mark Hensby
Australian professional golfer
Mark Adam Hensby (born 29 June 1971) is an Australian professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. His sole victory on the PGA Tour came at the 2004 John Deere Classic.
| Mark Hensby | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Mark Adam Hensby |
| Born | (1971-06-29) 29 June 1971 (age 52) Melbourne, Australia |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Sporting nationality |  Australia |
| Residence | Mesa, Arizona, U.S. |
| Spouse | Kimberly Hensby |
| Children | 2 |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1995 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour European Tour Web.com Tour |
| Professional wins | 7 |
| Highest ranking | 27 (21 August 2005)[1] |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| European Tour | 1 |
| Korn Ferry Tour | 3 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 1 |
| Other | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T5: 2005 |
| PGA Championship | T59: 2005 |
| U.S. Open | T3: 2005 |
| The Open Championship | T15: 2005 |
Hensby was born in Melbourne, Victoria. Australia. He grew up with his parents and two brothers, Darren and Jason, in Tamworth, New South Wales. When he was young, his parents divorced.[2]
Hensby first played golf when 12 years old and reached handicap 3 within two years.[2] He attended Tamworth High School, leaving at the age of 16 to work as a postie while spending most of his time on the golf course.
He moved to the United States in 1994, and having initially stayed with family friends, for a time slept in his car parked at the Cog Hill Golf & Country Club near Chicago, Illinois.[3] He won the Illinois State Amateur Championship in 1994 before turning professional the following year.
Hensby played on U.S. second-tier tour, at the time named the Nike Tour and later the Buy.com Tour, from 1997 before he graduated to the PGA Tour for the 2001 season. He gained his place on the elite tour by virtue of his 2nd-place finish on the Buy.com Tour money list in 2000. In his rookie season, Hensby did not earn enough money to retain his card and was forced to return to the second tier for 2002, after failing to regain his place at the end of season qualifying school. In 2003, he picked up his third win on second-tier tour, now named the Nationwide Tour, and finished 7th on the money list, to graduate directly to the PGA Tour for the second time.
2004 was a breakthrough season for Hensby as he sought to establish himself on the PGA Tour. He collected his first win at the 2004 John Deere Classic, where he defeated John E. Morgan in a sudden-death playoff,[3] and also had several other top 10 finishes on his way to 15th place on the end of season money list. The following season, he made an impact in the majors, finishing tied for 5th at the Masters, tied for 3rd in the U.S. Open, and tied for 15th at The Open at St Andrews, Scotland, after being second behind eventual winner Tiger Woods after the first round.[4] In 2005, Hensby made the cut in all four majors. He also won the Scandinavian Masters on the European Tour after beating Henrik Stenson in a playoff on Stenson's home soil in Stockholm, Sweden, after Hensby had birdied the last two holes in regulation to force a playoff.[5] He advanced to a career high 27th in the Official World Golf Ranking during 2005. He was awarded with a spot in the 2005 Presidents Cup International team.
A car accident early in 2006 severely limited Hensby's ability to compete that year,[6] but he came back in 2007 to finish just outside the top 100 on the PGA Tour money list and secure his card for following season.[7] His struggles were not over however and in 2008, he slipped outside the top 150 to lose his fully exempt status.
A series of injuries and three shoulder surgeries, plus two failed attempts at European Tour Q School, halted Hensby's career. He made his first PGA Tour start in two years (and first cut on any major tour since 2011) at the 2015 Barbasol Championship. He was the co-leader at the 36-hole point with rookie Kim Meen-whee. Hensby finished T6, his first PGA Tour top ten finish in seven years.
In December 2017, the PGA Tour suspended Hensby for one year retroactive to 26 October for violating the Tour's anti-doping policy.[8] Hensby spoke out a day afterwards, saying: "Call me stupid but don’t call me a cheater."[9]
In April 2023, Hensby won the Invited Celebrity Classic on PGA Tour Champions in Irving, Texas for his first PGA Tour Champions victory. Hensby won in a playoff. He parred the fourth playoff hole to win the tournament after his opponent Charlie Wi hit his approach into the water.[10]
- 1994 Illinois State Amateur Championship
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Jul 2004 | John Deere Classic | −16 (68-65-69-66=268) | Playoff |  John E. Morgan |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2004 | John Deere Classic | John E. Morgan |
Won with par on second extra hole |
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 Jul 2005 | Scandinavian Masters | −22 (65-68-64-65=262) | Playoff |  Henrik Stenson |
European Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005 | Scandinavian Masters | Henrik Stenson |
Won with par on second extra hole |
Nationwide Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Aug 1998 | Nike Fort Smith Classic | −20 (65-68-62-65=260) | 2 strokes |  Woody Austin |
| 2 | 6 May 2000 | Buy.com Carolina Classic | −18 (64-68-68-66=266) | Playoff |  Manny Zerman |
| 3 | 20 Jul 2003 | Henrico County Open | −20 (71-67-67-63=268) | Playoff | Zach Johnson |
Nationwide Tour playoff record (2–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | Buy.com Carolina Classic | Manny Zerman |
Won with par on seventh extra hole |
| 2 | 2002 | Permian Basin Open | Tag Ridings |
Lost to eagle on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2003 | Henrico County Open | Zach Johnson |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Other wins (1)
PGA Tour Champions wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 Apr 2023 | Invited Celebrity Classic | −12 (66-65-70=201) | Playoff |  Charlie Wi |
PGA Tour Champions playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | Invited Celebrity Classic | Charlie Wi |
Won with par on fourth extra hole |
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T5 | T22 | ||
| U.S. Open | T3 | CUT | ||
| The Open Championship | T15 | T22 | CUT | |
| PGA Championship | T68 | T59 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
| Tournament | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T73 | 74 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match Play | R32 | R64 | ||
| Championship | T11 | T56 | ||
| Invitational | T65 | T58 | T54 | T67 |
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
- Presidents Cup (International Team): 2005
- WGC-World Cup (representing Australia): 2005, 2006
- "Week 34 2005 Ending 21 Aug 2005" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- Milne, Doug (17 March 2023). "Mark Hensby's golf career forged by resilience". PGA Tour. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- "Hensby swaps sleeping in his car for driving to the top". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 July 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
- "Hensby keen to make Presidents Cup team". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 May 2008. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
- "Tack för matchen!" [Thanks for the match!]. Svensk Golf. No. 9. September 2005. pp. 120–121. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- "Injured Hensby set to take break". BBC Sport. 2 August 2006. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
- "Hensby secures ticket for PGA Tour". The Australian. 23 October 2007. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
- Romine, Brentley (11 December 2017). "PGA Tour suspends Mark Hensby for violating its anti-doping policy". Golfweek.
- Inglis, Martin (13 December 2017). "Mark Hensby speaks out after PGA Tour ban". bunkered.
- "Mark Hensby prevails in playoff for 1st PGA Tour Champions win". ESPN. Associated Press. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
