Mark Hensby

Lore & Background

Hensby was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and grew up in Tamworth, New South Wales with his parents and two brothers, Darren and Jason. His parents divorced when he was young. He first played golf at age 12 and reached a handicap of 3 within two years. He left Tamworth High School at 16 to work as a postie while spending most of his time on the golf course. In 1994, he moved to the United States, initially staying with family friends and for a time sleeping in his car parked at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club near Chicago, Illinois. That year he won the Illinois State Amateur Championship and turned professional. He played on the PGA Tour's developmental tour for several years, graduating to the PGA Tour for the 2001 season after finishing 2nd on the Buy.com Tour money list in 2000. After losing his card in his rookie season, he returned to the second tier and in 2003 won his third event on the Nationwide Tour, finishing 7th on the money list to graduate again. In 2004 he won the John Deere Classic in a sudden-death playoff against John E. Morgan and finished 15th on the money list. In 2005 he finished tied for 5th at the Masters, tied for 3rd at the U.S. Open, and tied for 15th at The Open at St Andrews, made the cut in all four majors, won the Scandinavian Masters on the European Tour by beating Henrik Stenson by one stroke, reached a career-high 27th in the Official World Golf Ranking, and was selected for the 2005 Presidents Cup International team. A car accident in early 2006 limited his play; he returned in 2007 but slipped outside the top 150 in 2008. Injuries and three shoulder surgeries, plus two failed European Tour Q-School attempts, halted his career. He made his first PGA Tour start in two years at the 2015 Barbasol Championship, where he was co-leader after 36 holes and finished T6. In December 2017, the PGA Tour suspended him for one year retroactive to 26 October for violating the Tour's anti-doping policy. Hensby said: 'Call me stupid but don’t call me a cheater.' In April 2023, he won the Invited Celebrity Classic on PGA Tour Champions in Irving, Texas, in a playoff, parring the fourth extra hole after Charlie Wi hit his approach into the water.

In Their Own Story

The 6 a.m. light was still grey when Hensby shouldered the bag. Fourteen clubs, a divot tool, a worn yardage book, a bottle of water, a pair of gloves. The cart path was slick with dew, and the pines behind the first tee exhaled a cold, resinous smell into the still air. He walked the player to the range, set the clubs in the rack, and said nothing. They didn't need to. After enough seasons, the silence between a caddie and a player is its own language. A nod meant *let's go.* A shake of the head meant *not today.* Hensby pulled a 7-iron, felt the grip, handed it back. The player swung. The ball found the fairway. Hensby walked to the next shot, read the green, and said, 'Slight left to right, ten feet, don't overthink it.' The player putted. It dropped. Hensby smiled, shouldered the bag, and walked on. The crowd on the 2nd tee would never know his name. That was the point. That was the job.

Reader's Guide

Mark Hensby is a professional golfer, not a caddie. His career includes one PGA Tour win (2004 John Deere Classic), one European Tour win (2005 Scandinavian Masters), three Nationwide Tour wins, and one PGA Tour Champions win (2023 Invited Celebrity Classic). He represented the International Team in the 2005 Presidents Cup and played in the WGC-World Cup for Australia in 2005 and 2006.

Did You Know?

• Hensby slept in his car at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club after moving to the United States in 1994.
• He won the 2004 John Deere Classic in a sudden-death playoff against John E. Morgan.
• In 2005, he made the cut in all four major championships and finished tied for 3rd at the U.S. Open.
• He was suspended by the PGA Tour in December 2017 for violating the anti-doping policy.