Mark O’Meara is calling it a career and he’s doing it where he enjoyed some of his finest moments.
The 2015 Golf Hall of Fame inductee announced Monday on Golf Channel he was retiring after this week’s Pure Insurance Championship on the PGA Tour Champions at Pebble Beach Golf Links. He won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am five times.
O’Meara is a 16-time PGA Tour winner and two-time major champion, winning the Masters and Open Championship in 1998 as his final PGA Tour victories. He played in 674 events on the PGA Tour, making the cut 444 times and amassing more than $14 million in career earnings.
This week will mark O’Meara’s 284th start on PGA Tour Champions, where he has three victories, his last coming in 2019. He has one senior major, the 2010 Senior Players Championship.
O’Meara was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and took up golf at 13 years old when he lived in Mission Viejo, California. He was an All-American at Long Beach State and won the U.S. Amateur in 1979.
His first PGA Tour victory came in 1984 at the Greater Milwaukee Open. Then in 1998, he finally got his first major, capturing the green jacket at Augusta National in the Masters. Later that year, he added the Claret Jug to his trophy case, winning at Royal Birkdale. He’s one of 16 golfers to claim two majors in one season with the Open being one of them.
He announced on the Friday of the 2018 Masters after missing the cut that it was his last Masters, 20 years after he won his green jacket.
O’Meara developed a strong relationship with Tiger Woods in the latter stages of his career while Woods was just beginning. Woods slid the green jacket on O’Meara’s shoulders after his ’97 victory at the Masters.
He reached a high of No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking in that 1998 season. For his career, he totaled 34 professional victories. He won five European Tour events, two on the Japan Golf Tour and numerous others.
O’Meara earned PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors in 1981 and then was named PGA Tour Player of the Year in 1998.
Here’s a look at Mark O’Meara’s career in photos.
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Mark O’Meara tees off during the Par 3 Contest at The Masters golf tournament at Augusta…
Mark O’Meara tees off during the Par 3 Contest at The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Network)
Golf: Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals
Masters Champion Mark O’Meara poses for a photo with boys 10-11 division winner Neal Manutai during…
Masters Champion Mark O’Meara poses for a photo with boys 10-11 division winner Neal Manutai during the Drive Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports
2014 Masters
Mark O’Meara plays a shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the 2014…
Mark O’Meara plays a shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the 2014 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports)
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Mark O’Meara plays the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Photo…
Mark O’Meara plays the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
THE ELITE
Former Open Champions David Duval, Justin Leonard, Tiger Woods and Mark O’Meara of the USA walk…
Former Open Champions David Duval, Justin Leonard, Tiger Woods and Mark O’Meara of the USA walk to the official past champions photocall during the second practice round for the 134th Open Championship at the Old Course, St. Andrews Golf Links on July 12, 2005 in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Mark O’Meara of the US (R), the 1998 Masters Champ
Mark O’Meara of the US (R), the 1998 Masters Champion, points out part of the course…
Mark O’Meara of the US (R), the 1998 Masters Champion, points out part of the course to 1997 Masters Champion Tiger Woods (L) as they walk down the fifth fairway 03 April 2000 during the first practice round for the 2000 Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, GA. The tournament will start on 06 April 2000. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/JEFF HAYNES (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
1999 Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal (R) of S
1999 Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal get his green jacket from 1998 champion Mark O’Meara at…
1999 Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal get his green jacket from 1998 champion Mark O’Meara at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Photo by Paul J. Richards/Getty Images
Chubb Classic – Round One
Mark O’Meara hits a tee shot during the first round of the Chubb Classic held at…
Mark O’Meara hits a tee shot during the first round of the Chubb Classic held at The Classics at Lely Resort on February 15, 2019 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images)
1998 Masters
Mark O’Meara reacts to making a birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the 1998…
Mark O’Meara reacts to making a birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the 1998 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.(Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)
146th Open Championship – First Round
SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND – JULY 20: Mark O’Meara of the United States hits the opening tee shot…
SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND – JULY 20: Mark O’Meara of the United States hits the opening tee shot on the 1st hole during the first round of the 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 20, 2017 in Southport, England. (Photo by Warren Little/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
The Masters – Preview Day 2
Vijay Singh of Fiji and Mark O’Meara of the United States walk together during a practice…
Vijay Singh of Fiji and Mark O’Meara of the United States walk together during a practice round prior to the start of the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 3, 2018 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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Mark O’Meara tips his hat after making birdie on the 18th hole during the first round…
Mark O’Meara tips his hat after making birdie on the 18th hole during the first round of The Players Championship.
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Mark O’Meara from the USA holds up the cup on the18th green, Sunday, July 19, 1998…
Mark O’Meara from the USA holds up the cup on the18th green, Sunday, July 19, 1998 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, in Southport, in North West England after winning the 1998 British Open Golf Championships.
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Mark O’Meara of the United States plays from a bunker on the 11th hole during the…
Mark O’Meara of the United States plays from a bunker on the 11th hole during the third round of the British Open Golf Championship at Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s golf course in England Saturday, July 21, 2001.
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Mark O’Meara watches his shot to the 17th green during the first round of the U.S.…
Mark O’Meara watches his shot to the 17th green during the first round of the U.S. Senior Open at the Inverness Club.
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Tiger Woods, left, walks to the 12th tee with Mark O’Meara during a practice round for…
Tiger Woods, left, walks to the 12th tee with Mark O’Meara during a practice round for the Masters.
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Mark O’Meara during the second round of the 2013 U.S. Senior Open at Omaha (Neb.) CC.
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Mark O’Meara hits from off the left side of the 18th fairway during the first round…
Mark O’Meara hits from off the left side of the 18th fairway during the first round of the Father/Son Challenge at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando.
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Mark O’Meara (right) with caddie Paul Henderson at Augusta National.
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Mark O’Meara leads the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am by one shot over Nick Price and Mike Reid.
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“Winning with Nick (Price), that was a win, but it was a team win. Not to…
“Winning with Nick (Price), that was a win, but it was a team win. Not to take anything away from that, but sooner you’ve got to win individually. I’ve come so close. Going through my divorce, getting remarried, having all the personal stuff going on off the course, I was the guy that was there, down, up, all over the place. And it’s just finally great to have one come my way and come out on top.”
– Mark O’Meara on winning his first Champions title and the final major of the year, the Senior Players Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms in Potomac, Maryland.
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Mark O’Meara (L) gets the Green Jacket from Tiger Woods, the defending Masters champion, 12 April…
Mark O’Meara (L) gets the Green Jacket from Tiger Woods, the defending Masters champion, 12 April at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, GA. O’Meara finished at nine-under-par.
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Mark O’Meara of the US reacts to making a birdie putt on the 18th hole to…
Mark O’Meara of the US reacts to making a birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the 1998 Masters Golf Tournament 12 April at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, GA. O’Meara finished at nine-under-par.
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Mark O’Meara made some headlines of his own Friday with a second-round 68 at the Masters.
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Mark O’Meara, the 1998 Masters champion, posted an ace on the second hole during the Par…
Mark O’Meara, the 1998 Masters champion, posted an ace on the second hole during the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday at Augusta National.
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Mark O’Meara with his son Shaun O’Meara out for a practice round on Wednesday of the…
Mark O’Meara with his son Shaun O’Meara out for a practice round on Wednesday of the PNC Father/Son Challenge at The Ritz Carlton Golf Club of Orlando.
PGA: Masters Tournament – 1992
Mark O’Meara lines up his putt during round 2 at Augusta National Country Club. Mandatory Credit:…
Mark O’Meara lines up his putt during round 2 at Augusta National Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Walt Unks -The Augusta Chronicle via USA TODAY NETWORK
