Mark Hensby

Lore & Background

Hensby was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1971. He 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 attended Tamworth High School, leaving 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.

In his rookie season he did not earn enough to retain his card and returned to the second tier for 2002. In 2003 he picked up his third win on the Nationwide Tour and finished 7th on the money list to graduate again. In 2004 he won the John Deere Classic, defeating John E. Morgan in a sudden-death playoff, 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.

He also won the Scandinavian Masters on the European Tour, beating Henrik Stenson in a playoff. He reached a career-high 27th in the Official World Golf Ranking in 2005 and was selected for the 2005 Presidents Cup International team. A car accident in early 2006 limited his play that year. He returned in 2007 but slipped outside the top 150 in 2008, losing his exempt status.

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. In April 2023, he won the Invited Celebrity Classic on PGA Tour Champions in Irving, Texas, his first PGA Tour Champions victory, winning in a playoff after his opponent Charlie Wi hit his approach into the water.

Reader's Guide

Hensby's career highlights include a PGA Tour win at the 2004 John Deere Classic, a European Tour win at the 2005 Scandinavian Masters, three Nationwide Tour wins, and a PGA Tour Champions win at the 2023 Invited Celebrity Classic. He finished tied for 5th at the 2005 Masters, tied for 3rd at the 2005 U.S. Open, and tied for 15th at the 2005 Open Championship. He represented the International Team at the 2005 Presidents Cup.