Mark Hensby

Hensby was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He grew up in Tamworth, New South Wales, and attended Tamworth High School, leaving at the age of 16 to work as a Mail carrier 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, he slept in his car parked at the Cog Hill Golf & Country Club near Chicago, Illinois which used to play the Western Open on it. He won the Illinois State Amateur Championship in 1994 before turning professional the following year. He now lives in Mesa, Arizona.
Hensby played on the Korn Ferry Tour for several years from 1997 before he graduated to the PGA Tour for the 2001 season. He gained his place on the PGA Tour with his 2nd-place finish on the Korn Ferry 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 Korn Ferry Tour for 2002 after failing to regain his place at the end-of-season qualifying school. In 2003, he picked up his third win on the Korn Ferry 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, defeating John E. Morgan in a sudden-death playoff. He also had several other top-ten finishes on his way to 15th place on the end-of-the-season money list. In 2005, he impacted the majors, finishing T-5th at the Masters, T-3rd in the U.S. Open, and T-15th in the British Open. 2005 Hensby was awarded a spot in the 2005 Presidents Cup, where he compiled a 1-2-1 record. He also played in ten events on the European Tour and won the Scandinavian Masters. He was ranked 27th in the Official World Golf Ranking in 2005.
A car accident early in 2006 severely limited Hensby's ability to compete that year, but he came back in 2007 to finish just outside the top 100 on the PGA Tour money list and secure his card for the following season. However, his struggles were not over; in 2008, he slipped outside the top 150 to lose his fully exempt status.
A series of injuries, three shoulder surgeries, and two failed attempts at European Tour Q School halted Hensby's career. He started his first PGA Tour 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 Whee Kim. Hensby finished T-6th, his first PGA Tour top-ten finish in seven years.
In December 2017, the PGA Tour suspended Hensby for one year retroactively to 26 October for violating the Tour's anti-doping policy. Hensby spoke out a day afterward, saying: "Call me stupid but don't call me a cheater.
During the one-year ban, Hensby considered retiring, but golf has been his focus since childhood. Even though he was 47 when the ban ended, he was unsure what he had left and if he was welcome again. He got back and was able to play in some Korn Ferry Tour events. In 2020 and '21, he played in 15 Korn Ferry events but only made four cuts. At the end of June 2021, he turned 50 and played in two PGA Tour Champions events, missing the cut and T-49th at Sanford International.
Hensby played in 194 Korn Ferry events in his career, making 104 cuts with 28 top-ten finishes. He won three times and earned $982,470. On the PGA Tour, Hensby played in 193 events making 94 cuts. He had 16 top-ten finishes and won the 2004 John Deere Classic. He earned $6,432,320.
2022 Notes: Played in 8 PGA Tour Champions events with two top-ten finishes. He was 46th in the Schwab rankings and 46th on the money list with $476,814 in earnings. Was T-8th at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and 3rd at the U.S. Senior Open, six shots back of winner Padraig Harrington. He ended the season with a T-41st finish at the TimberTech Championship. He played in five PGA Tour events making one cut. Finished T-7th at Puerto Rico Open, his first top-ten on the PGA Tour since his T-6th in the 2015 Barbasol Champions.
2023 Notes: Went into the final round of the Trophy Hassan II just three back of the lead but shot 75 to finish 2nd, five shots back of winner Stephen Ames. Finished T-3rd at the Cologuard Classic after carding 69-70-65 but was three shots back of winner David Toms. Won the Invited Celebrity Classic, defeating runner-up Charlie Wi on the fourth playoff hole. Posted 66-65-70 en route to a 12-under total. Became the 19th player to win on PGA Tour Champions, PGA Tour, and Korn Ferry Tour. He snapped a winless streak of 17 years, 8 months, 23 days, dating back to the 2005 Scandinavian Invitation (on the DP World Tour).