Photo Credit: Todd Korol/Insperity InvitationalSports
Mark O’Meara receives 2024 Dave Marr Award at Insperity Invitational’s Player’s Dinner
Mark O’Meara is the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Dave Marr Award.
One of golf’s most consistent players throughout his illustrious career that was highlighted by a 1998 season to remember.
In case you forget, O’Meara was the oldest golfer to win two majors in the same year at age 41. He put on the Green Jacket at August National just months before hoisting The Claret Jug on the other side of the pond at Royal Birkdale.
If that wasn’t enough, he was also named the PGA TOUR Player-of-the-Year in 1998 and soared to number two in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Mark O’Meara’s name is now synonymous with golf’s greats.
Fittingly, the 2024 Dave Marr Award goes to the 16-time PGA TOUR winner that saw him fire into the winner’s circle five times at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He has added three more victories on the PGA TOUR Champions since turning 50.
“There is so much in life to be thankful for and I am tremendously honored to receive this award,” said O’Meara. “When I got inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the first person I asked to (speak at my induction) was Dave Marr Jr. Not just because he is a friend of mine, but also because of the relationship I had with his father. He was there for my U.S. Amateur victory in 1979, so it means a lot to me to have my name on this great award.”
Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015, Mark O’Meara was one of the most dominant golfers in the world during his time on the PGA Tour.
A late starter, his 1998 triumph is also proof that it is never too late to achieve something great.
O’Meara was born in North Carolina in 1957 but spent the majority of his childhood in southern California, taking up golf at the country club in his town at the young age of 13. He attended Long Beach State University where he won the 1979 U.S. Amateur and graduated with a marketing degree in 1980.
That same year, he debuted professionally on the PGA Tour and received his first win at the 1984 at the Greater Milwaukee Open. O’Meara proceeded to tally a total of 34 professional wins and was on five United States Ryder Cup Teams. In addition, he began to develop a golf course design practice.
O’Meara is considered one of the most likeable figures on and off the golf course.
The Insperity Invitational celebrated O’Meara’s distinguished career during tournament week by presenting him with the prestigious Dave Marr Award at the 21st anniversary of the Tournament’s Player’s Dinner on Thursday evening.
Created in 1999 to honor individuals who exemplify the traits Mr. Marr lived by – sportsmanship, honesty, integrity and a passion for the game of golf – O’Meara joins a prestigious list of winners who have done remarkable things both on the golf course, and in their communities. The rich history of recipients of the Dave Marr Award includes Arnold Palmer, Miller Barber, Don January, Ben Crenshaw, Larry Nelson, Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller, Lee Trevino, Curtis Strange, Barbara Nicklaus, Bernhard Langer, Tom Lehman, Jim Nantz and Johnny Miller.
“Dave Marr was a dear friend so recognizing the incredible people who make our game and communities great in his honor is a highlight for me each year during tournament week,” said Bryan Naugle, who was a Dave Marr Award recipient in 2013. “Mark exemplifies what it means to be a professional. His results speak for themselves. But for me, it is how Mark carries himself as a person that makes him a true legend. He treats everyone with the utmost respect, cherishes his charitable work and also the time he gets to spend with his family. Dave Marr would be very proud of what Mark has been able to accomplish.”
Source: Insperity Invitational
