Tim Clark

Born in Durban, South Africa, Clark took up golf at 3 years old and was taught to play by his father. He was the South African Junior Player of the Year in 1993, and moved to North Carolina in 1995 to attend North Carolina State, where he enjoyed a successful college golf career. He was selected as an NCAA first-team All-American in 1996 and won the ACC Player of the Year award in 1997.
Clark turned professional in 1998, and initially played on the Web.com Tour, where he won two tournaments in 2000 to finish third on the money list, gaining exemption on the PGA Tour for 2001.
1999 Web.com Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 25; rounds played - 77; in money - 14; top -10 finishes - 3; scoring average - 71.62 (ranked 63rd); money - $57,220 (ranked 46th); best finish: T-3 Louisiana Open.
2000 Web.com Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 27; rounds played - 84; in money - 16; top -10 finishes - 7; scoring average - 70.75 (ranked 68th); money - $288,056 (ranked 3rd); best finish: won Fort Smith Classic and Boise Open.
Suffered a serious wrist injury during the 2001 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his third and final start of the season. After surgery to repair tendon damage, he returned to action in the first event of 2002 at Durban Country Club and won the Bell South African Open on the European Tour. He had to qualify for the event, so he became the first player on the tour to accomplish that feat since Paul Lawrie at the British Open in 1999. Won the South African Order of Merit that year. Struggled on the PGA Tour and needed a pair of T-6th finishes at the Michelob Championship and Disney Golf Classic to jump into the top 125 on the money list, finishing 107th to regain his card.
Played steady after that and ranked in the top 75 on the money list every year between 2003 and 2010.
While in Australia for a three-tournament swing in 2008, he won the Australian Open in a playoff with Mathew Goggin after they both finished 9 under par. He has played Gary Player's annual charity event in South Africa to help raise funds for needy children, and personally paid for a little girl's cochlear ear implant after winning the event in 2005 so she could hear.
In May 2010, Clark picked up his first PGA Tour title in his 206th start at the 2010 Players Championship, where he came from three behind with a final-round 67 to win by a stroke over Robert Allenby. Clark, who earned eight runner-up results on the PGA Tour prior to that win, had the distinction of being the player with the most money earned on the tour without a victory.
Member of 2003, 2005 and 2009 Presidents Cup teams.
2011 Notes: Battled tendinitis in his right arm throughout the early months of the season and only had four starts, and was forced to withdraw with an elbow injury at the Players Championship. Had surgery for the elbow injury. Presidents Cup captain Greg Norman named him assistant captain for the 2011 matches in Australia.
2012 Notes: Began season late due to the persisting injury, but earned his first top-10 since the 2011 Sony Open, a T-4th at the Travelers Championship. He was runner-up at the Wyndham, and competed in three FedExCup Playoff events, finishing 56th in the FedExCup race and 61st in the money title with earnings of $1,407,028.
2013 Notes: Placed 2nd at the Sony Open in Hawaii as he posted the lowest 72-hole total of his career ? a 21-under-par, 259 total. At the time, it was the 14th-lowest 72-hole total on the PGA Tour, as Russell Henley beat him by three shots. With the second-place finish (the 11th of his career) at the Sony, he had finished runner-up at least once a year for nine consecutive years. Was 80th in the FedExCup race and 64th in the money race.
2014 Notes: He started strong with a T-2nd at the McGladrey Classic, but his elbow started hurting at the Sony Open and he withdrew, took two months off and returned at the Honda Classic. His season was not going very well until he realized what his real problem was?worrying about the looming change to the anchoring of long putters. Because of a genetic condition that prevents him from turning his forearms and wrists inward, the January 1, 2016 putting ban could seriously affect him. So for most of the year, he has been tinkering with stuff to revert back to a regular putting stroke, something he hasn't done in more than 15 years. Over the summer, Clark realized he couldn't worry about the looming change and worked hard on what has made him successful. The change paid off as he shot a back-nine 30 in the final round of the RBC Canadian Open to catch and pass Jim Furyk and win for the second time on the PGA Tour. FedExCup Playoffs began with a WD (elbow injury) from The Barclays after an opening-round 76. Withdrew the following week prior to the start of the Deutsche Bank Championship with the same injury. Played the BMW Championship, finishing T-36th to end his season ranked 54th in the FedExCup rankings and 42nd on the money list.
2015 Notes: Lost a playoff to Bubba Watson at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China. While playing the SONY Open in Hawaii, he again experienced problems with a tender left elbow while he was in contention. Shot a final-round 74 to drop to T-30th. Withdrew from the Humana Challenge the next week and for the next five months was nursing the elbow strain. Made his comeback on the Travelers Championshp were he missed the cut.