Mark James (golfer)
| Mark James | |
|---|---|
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| Personnel | |
| Nation: |
 England
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| Nickname: | Jesse James |
| Career data | |
| Professional since: | 1976 |
| Current tour: | Champions Tour |
| Tournament wins: | 28 |
| Major wins : | 1 Senior Major (2004) |
| Awards: | Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award (1976) |
Mark James (born October 28, 1953 in Manchester ) is an English professional golfer . He played on the European Tour for many years , was once a Ryder Cup captain and is now a senior on the North American Champions Tour .
Career
Mark James won the English Amateur Championship as an amateur in 1974 and played for Great Britain & Ireland in the 1975 Walker Cup . His first professional success came in 1977, a year later the first of his 18 victories on the European Tour . James couldn't win a major , but he had four top five finishes in the Open Championship . He was also one of the most consistent players on the tour, making it into the top 30 of the money list 20 times.
In the Ryder Cup , Mark James was represented seven times, in addition, he was once, in 1999, captain. That was the unfortunate Ryder Cup when the US audience, but also a few US players, contravened the spirit of this event through unsportsmanlike conduct - hence also called the Battle of Brookline . However, with a few unfortunate comments James didn’t help to relax, and his hotly debated line-up tactics ultimately led to - albeit narrow - defeat.
In 2000, Mark James published a bestseller about these events, Into the Bear Pit . In it, he describes, in addition to criticizing the Americans, his arguments with members of his team, such as Nick Faldo . In the follow-up book After the Bear Pit , published in 2002, James describes the struggle with cancer, his experiences as a European Tour player and his thoughts on the future of the Ryder Cup .
A senior golfer since the end of 2003, Mark James has decided on the North American Champions Tour and in 2004 became the first European to win a Senior Major there , the Senior Players Championship . The next tournament victories followed in 2005 and 2007.
Mark James also works as a golf commentator for the BBC .
European Tour victories
- 1978 Sun Alliance Match Play Championship
- 1979 Welsh Golf Classic , Carroll's Irish Open
- 1980 Carroll's Irish Open
- 1982 Italian Open
- 1983 Tunisian Open
- 1985 GSI L'Equipe Open
- 1986 Benson & Hedges International Open
- 1988 Peugeot Open de España
- 1989 Karl Litten Desert Classic , AGF Open , NM English Open
- 1990 Dunhill British Masters , NM English Open
- 1993 Madeira Island Open , Turespaña Iberia Open de Canarias
- 1995 Moroccan Open
- 1997 Peugeot Open de España
Other tournament victories
- 1977 Lusaka Open (Africa)
- 1981 Sao Paulo Open (South America)
- 1980 Euro Masters Invitational (Italy)
- 1983 Euro Masters Invitational (Italy)
- 1988 South African TPC
European Seniors Tour victories
- 2005 European Senior Masters
- 2009 Son Gual Mallorca Senior Open
Champions Tour victories
- 2004 Ford Senior Players Championship
- 2005 ACE Group Classic
- 2007 Allianz Championship
Senior Major bold printed
Participation in team competitions
- Ryder Cup : 1977 (for Great Britain & Ireland, then for Europe), 1979, 1981, 1989 (draw and cup defended), 1991, 1993, 1995 (winner), 1999 (non-playing captain)
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (for England): 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999
- World Cup (for England): 1978, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997, 1999
- Hennessy Cognac Cup : 1976 (winner), 1978 (winner), 1980 (winner), 1982 (winner & individual winner), 1984 (winner)
- Four Tours World Championship : 1988, 1989, 1990
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | James, Mark |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English golfer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 28, 1953 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Manchester , England |