Marco Dawson

Exempt status

• PGA TOUR Champions: Top 36 Charles Schwab Cup Points (19th)

JOINED TOUR

• PGA TOUR: 1991

PGA TOUR Champions Victories (2)

2015 Season

• The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex
• Tucson Conquistadores Classic

Korn Ferry Tour Victories (1)

2002 Season

• LaSalle Bank Open

International Victories (1)

• 2015 Suntree Challenge (Sunbelt)

PLAYOFF RECORD

KORN FERRY TOUR (0-1)

• 1999 Lost to Bob Heintz, NIKE TOUR Championship

Personal

• Took up golf at age 9 after his family moved to Coral Springs, Fla., and lived adjacent to a course.
• Enjoys listening to classical, world and instrumental music.
• Would love to try Navy Seals training one day.
• Favorite athlete is Muhammad Ali.
• First job was a range picker using a VW Bettle.
• First concert he attended was The Cars.
• Most memorable shot was hitting a left-handed 6-iron (upside down) from 120 yards to 10 feet from the pin.
• Member of the TOUR from 1991 through 1997.

Special Interests

• Fishing

CURRENT YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

• Kaulig Companies Championship: Finished 10th at the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship after shooting 69-68-68-71.
• American Family Insurance Championship: Closed with 11-under 133 over the final 36 holes, finished T3 for his best result of the season on PGA TOUR Champions.
• ClubCorp Classic: Posted his second consecutive top-10 (T8/Rapiscan Systems Classic) finish after carding 7-under 206 to finish T7 at the ClubCorp Classic.
• Rapiscan Systems Classic: After opening with 74 at the Rapiscan Systems Classic, shot 68-66 on the weekend to finish T8.

Career Highlights

2022 Season

• Kaulig Companies Championship: Finished 10th at the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship after shooting 69-68-68-71.
• American Family Insurance Championship: Closed with 11-under 133 over the final 36 holes, finished T3 for his best result of the season on PGA TOUR Champions.
• ClubCorp Classic: Posted his second consecutive top-10 (T8/Rapiscan Systems Classic) finish after carding 7-under 206 to finish T7 at the ClubCorp Classic.
• Rapiscan Systems Classic: After opening with 74 at the Rapiscan Systems Classic, shot 68-66 on the weekend to finish T8.

2021 Season

• PURE Insurance Championship: At the 2021 PURE Insurance Championship, he finished T7 after carding rounds of 69-69-70 – 208 (-8) in his second appearance at this tournament.

2020 Season

• PURE Insurance Championship: Recorded three straight rounds of 70 and finished T10 at the PURE Insurance Championship, which broke a streak of seven starts without a top-10.
• Chubb Classic: Carded three rounds of 67 to finish T5 at the Chubb Classic, his second career top-10 at the event.

2019 Season

Carded eight top-10s, matching a career best, and finished 19th in the Charles Schwab Cup. Finished with the 11th-best scoring average (70.00), his best average since 2014.

• Charles Schwab Cup Championship: Carded rounds of 67-67-69-66 at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship and finished T8, his second straight top-10 at the season finale.
• PURE Insurance Championship: Carded rounds of 67-71-71 to finish the PURE Insurance Championship T5, his seventh top-10 of the season.
• DICK'S Sporting Goods Open: Carded rounds of 66-69-71 at the DICK’S Sporting Goods Open, his sixth top-10 of the year.
• Principal Charity Classic: Playing in Sunday’s final group for the third time this season, Dawson closed with an even-par 72 and finished T8 at the Principal Charity Classic.
• Insperity Invitational: After a first-round 72, rebounded with scores of 65-68 to finish T4 at the Insperity Invitational. It was his second straight top-five finish and fourth top-10 of the year.
• Rapiscan Systems Classic: Opened the Rapiscan Systems Classic with a 6-under 65 before finishing at 5-under 211 in solo-fourth, marking his third top-10 of the season.
• Oasis Championship: Carded birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 to finish the Oasis Championship in second place at 14-under 202.
• Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai: Carded rounds of 69-68-70–207 en route to his best finish (T10) in four starts at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.

2018 Season

Recorded one of his best years on PGA TOUR Champions with a runner-up finish (PURE Insurance Championship) and five finishes in the top five. Advanced to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship for the fourth time and finished T8 to finish No. 22 in the standings, his highest placing since 2015.

• Charles Schwab Cup Championship: Carded rounds of 69-65-67-70 and finished T8 at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. It was his fifth top-10 of the season and best finish in four starts at the season finale.
• Dominion Energy Charity Classic: He opened the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs with a T8 finish at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, his second top-10 in his last three starts.
• PURE Insurance Championship: Went bogey-free through the first 36 holes at the PURE Insurance Championship and posted a 9-under 206 to finish runner-up for his best finish since he won The Senior Open Championship in 2015. Moved to No. 22 in the Charles Schwab Cup.
• DICK'S Sporting Goods Open: Playing in Sunday's final group at the DICK'S Sporting Goods Open, Dawson carded a final-round 68 and finished T3, his second top-10 in his last three starts.
• The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex: Dawson closed with a 4-under 68 at The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex and finished T6 at 9-under. Dawson is the last American to win the Senior Claret Jug (2015).

2017 Season

Had a nice stretch in the last two months of the season with six consecutive top-25 finishes.

• Charles Schwab Cup Championship: Returned to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship following a one-year hiatus, moving from 39th to 34th on the Charles Schwab Cup money list.
• Dominion Energy Charity Classic: Finished T13 at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.
• SAS Championship: Finished T11 at the SAS Championship.
• Boeing Classic: Was T6 at the Boeing Classic where he strung together seven consecutive birdies in the opening round, one shy of the PGA TOUR Champions record.
• 3M Championship: Finished T7 at the 3M Championship where he was bogey-free over the weekend while posting rounds of 66-68.
• Principal Charity Classic: Added a second top-10 effort when he was T8 at the Principal Charity Classic in June.
• Regions Tradition: Four consecutive sub-par rounds led to a T4 finish at the Regions Tradition, his first top-10 finish of the year.
• Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai: Shared the first-round lead at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai after an 8-under-par 64, before eventually finishing T13 at the event cut to 36 holes due to high winds in the final round.

2016 Season

Made a late run for a spot in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship for the third consecutive year but fell short, finishing 39th following the first two Playoff events. Made over half his season earnings in his final five events.

• PowerShares QQQ Championship: T6 at the PowerShares QQQ Championship.
• Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship: Finished T7 at the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship.
• The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex: Was T60 at The Senior Open Championship at Carnoustie where he was the event's defending champion.
• The Open Championship: Made the cut at The Open Championship, finishing T68 at Royal Troon.
• DICK'S Sporting Goods Open: Posted a T11 finish at the DICK'S Sporting Goods Open in July.
• Tucson Conquistadores Classic: Finished T4 in defense of his title at the Tucson Conquistadores Classic in March.

2015 Season

Experienced a breakthrough season on Tour and was one of just four players with multiple titles on the season.

• 3M Championship: Followed his Senior Open Championship victory with a solo fifth-place showing at the 3M Championship. Despite posting three-straight rounds in the 60s at TPC Twin Cities, finished five strokes behind Kenny Perry.
• The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex: Earned the signature win of his professional career in July when he won The Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale GC near London. Emerged from a crowded leaderboard, which featured the likes of Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Fred Couples and Miguel Angel Jimenez to claim his first major title. Led or shared the lead after the first three rounds and drained a 22-foot birdie putt moments before Langer's birdie putt would have sent the proceedings into a playoff. He made a crucial eagle on the 14th hole to take the lead and never relinquished it. A six-hole stretch was the turning point Sunday. Made an eagle at the par-4 ninth, birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 and another eagle at No. 14 which helped him make up five strokes in that stretch. Earned a career-best check for $319,090 as well as a berth in the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
• Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship: Shot 68 on the last day of the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS to T7 at Belmont CC.
• Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid: Shot the lowest final-round score of the field, a 4-under 68, that jumped him up 24 spots into a T9 at the Senior PGA Championship.
• Tucson Conquistadores Classic: Won his initial victory on Tour in March when he was a two-stroke victor at the inaugural Tucson Conquistadores Classic. Made a key 18-foot birdie putt on No. 16 that gave him a two-shot lead over Bart Bryant, who eventually finished second. His three rounds in the 60s helped him end a victory drought of 12 years, 7 months, 11 days, since his first title on the Korn Ferry Tour near Chicago. Win came in his 286th start and represented a second consecutive victory by a former Florida Southern College product. Lee Janzen, a college teammate, won the previous PGA TOUR Champions event at The ACE Group Classic.
• ACE Group Classic: Was also T7 at The ACE Group Classic, thanks, in part, to a 5-under-par 67 in the closing round in Naples.

2014 Season

Started the season as a non-exempt player but open-qualified for four events early in the campaign and eventually played his way into fully exempt status for 2015. Key to his season was a stretch just past the mid-point in the year when he was among the top five in four of five tournaments. Early in the season, registered top-10 finishes in two majors on the PGA TOUR Champions. Easily earned the most he's ever made in a single season in professional golf, his $952,814 surpassing the 2003 PGA TOUR season when he pocketed more than $600,000.

• AT&T Championship: Appeared headed for his first victory in late-October when he was the 36-hole leader, leading Michael Allen by three strokes with four holes remaining at the AT&T Championship. However, bogeys at Nos. 16 and 18 derailed his chances and left him in solo-second place, two strokes shy.
• Boeing Classic: In late August, parlayed a closing-round, 7-under-par 65 into a T5 finish at the Boeing Classic. Effort in Seattle secured him a spot among the top 30 money-winners for the remainder of the season.
• Dick's Sporting Goods Open: One week later, at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open, carded a final-round 66 with birdies on two of his last three holes to move up into a T4 at En-Joie GC.
• 3M Championship: Prior to performance in San Antonio, was T3 in August at the 3M Championship after he open-qualified for the event, the fourth time during the season he successfully played his way into the field. Began with a 9-under-par 63 and was second, one stroke behind Kenny Perry after two rounds at TPC Twin Cities. Briefly took the lead early in the final round after opening with successive birdies on Nos. 1 and 2. However, saw his chances derailed after bogeys on Nos. 5 and 9, and he eventually finished three strokes behind Perry.
• U.S. Senior Open Championship: First raised eyebrows in mid-July when he finished T5 at the U.S. Senior Open in Oklahoma.
• Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid: At the Senior PGA Championship, shot 7-under 64 Saturday, the low round of the championship at Harbor Shores, to eventually finish T9.
• Regions Tradition: Was T9 at the Regions Tradition.

2013 Season

Made eight of 17 cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour, with both of his top-20 finishes coming within his first four starts on the circuit.

• Champions Tour Q-School: Went to the Tour's National Qualifying Tournament but did not earn any exempt status for 2014 after finishing T31 at TPC Scottsdale.
• Sanderson Farms Championship: Finished T58 at the Sanderson Farms Championship in his only PGA TOUR start.
• Chitimacha Louisiana Open: Was T13 at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open.
• Colombia Championship: Finished T19 at the Colombia Championship.

2012 Season

At No. 222, failed to advance to the FedExCup Playoffs. Made the cut in eight of 22 starts but failed to record a top-25 finish.

• The McGladrey Classic: In the fall, opened with an 8-under 62 at The McGladrey Classic to share the 18-hole lead with Bud Cauley. Struggled after that, with rounds of 75-70-73 to finish 68th.

2011 Season

Played majority of the year on the Korn Ferry Tour, with three top-10s in 21 starts. Also made three cuts in three starts on the PGA TOUR.

• PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament: In December, finished T8 at the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament at PGA West in Palm Springs, Calif., to earn his PGA TOUR card for 2012.
• News Sentinel Open Presented by Pilot: Saved best finish of the season for last, by finishing solo second at the News Sentinel Open, where he posted four rounds in the 60s and had a chance to win Sunday. Birdied three holes on the back nine to post at 19-under, winding up two strokes back of winner Kirk Triplett. Runner-up effort was his best on Tour since a T2 at the 2002 Oregon Classic.
• Cox Classic Presented by Lexus of Omaha: Four rounds in the 60s at the Cox Classic earned him his second top-10 of the season, a T9.
• John Deere Classic: With four rounds in the 60s, best TOUR finish was a T18 at the John Deere Classic.
• Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebrae: On the Korn Ferry Tour, first top-10 of the year was a T4 at the weather-plagued Fresh Express Classic in California. Was at 8-under par and four shots off the lead after 54 holes. Tournament's final round was first delayed and later canceled because of heavy fog.

2010 Season

Failed to crack the top 10 in 10 PGA TOUR starts. Played 15 Korn Ferry Tour events, with one top-10 finish. Ended the year No. 97 on the money list.

• Panama CLARO Championship: Best performance, a T4, came at his first event of the season, the Panama CLARO Championship. It was his best Korn Ferry Tour showing since a T2 at the 2002 Oregon Classic.

2009 Season

Had one made-cut in six events. Ended the Korn Ferry Tour season No. 74 on the money list after making 14 cuts in 19 starts but had only two top-10 finishes.

• Chattanooga Classic Presented by Black Creek: Was T6 at the Chattanooga Classic.
• Valero Texas Open: Finished T40 at the Valero Texas Open.
• South Georgia Classic Pres'd by First State Bank and Trust Company: Finished T6 at both the South Georgia Classic.

2008 Season

Made the cut in 12 of 21 starts on the PGA TOUR, with top-10 finishes. Had back-to-back top-10 finishes for the first time since 2003.

• South Georgia Classic: Only start on the Korn Ferry Tour in resulted in T6 at the South Georgia Classic for his first top-10 on that Tour since finishing second at the 2002 Oregon Classic.
• Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Finished T10 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
• Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular: Finished T6 at the inaugural Puerto Rico Open.

2007 Season

Finished 145th on the money list.

• Buick Open: Best finish came with a T5 at the Buick Open in early July.

2006 Season

• FUNAI Classic at the WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort: Sitting at No. 163 on TOUR money list entering the FUNAI Classic, finished T5 with four rounds in the 60s. With payday of $161,575, moved to No. 139 and earned a top-10 exemption into the season's final full-field event, the Chrysler Championship, where he missed the cut in final attempt at a top-125 finish.

2005 Season

Received a Major Medical Extension for 2005. Ended the season 139th on the money list to earn partial status for the 2006 season.

• Deutsche Bank Championship: In 16th start, yielded first top-10 of season with a T8 at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
• Ford Championship at Doral: In his first round on the PGA TOUR since the 2003 Honda Classic (missed rest of 2003 season due to back surgery), shared the first-round lead of the Ford Championship at Doral with three others after an opening 8-under 64. Finished T79.

2004 Season

Made six starts before season was cut short due to back surgery in April.

2003 Season

One of six Korn Ferry Tour graduates from the class of 2002 to retain TOUR card, finishing in top 125 for the first time since 1996.

• Nissan Open: Followed with a T10 at the Nissan Open.
• Buick Invitational: Best finish of the year was a T7 at the Buick Invitational, his first top-10 since T6 at Buick Challenge in 1996, a span of 68 events. Collected a career-best $130,950.

2002 Season

Continued to play under Major Medical Extension carryover from 2001 season. After playing in 19 events in 2001, had one remaining event in 2002 to earn $174,047 and keep Major Medical Extension status for the remainder of the season. After a missed-cut, spent the remainder of the year on the Korn Ferry Tour where he finished eighth and picked up his first win. Win came in his 309th combined start on the Korn Ferry Tour/PGA TOUR. Added two runner-up finishes.

• Oregon Classic: Finished runner-up at the Oregon Classic.
• LaSalle Bank Open: Picked up his first win at the LaSalle Bank Open in Chicago.
• Dayton Open: Added a runner-up finish at the Dayton Open.
• Touchstone Energy Tucson Open: Missed cut at the Touchstone Energy Tucson Open

2001 Season

Playing on a Medical Extension, earned $172,738 in 19 events. Made 10 cuts and had two top-25 finishes.

2000 Season

Only played in 10 TOUR events before undergoing back surgery on May 30.

1999 Season

Became the first player in Korn Ferry Tour history to earn more than $200,000 without benefit of a victory. Finished third on Korn Ferry Tour money list to earn PGA TOUR card for 2000.

• NIKE TOUR Championship: Carded a 69 in the final round of the Web.com Tour Championship, the only sub-70 on the last day, and forced a playoff with eventual winner Bob Heintz.

1998 Season

Spent most of the season retooling his game, changing from a right-to-left approach to a preferred left-to-right style. Played in only one tournament.

1996 Season

Finished in top 100 for second consecutive season. Posted three top-10 finishes.

• CVS Charity Classic: Was T4 at CVS Charity Classic.
• Buick Invitational: Was T3 at the Buick Invitational.

1995 Season

Finished No. 71 on the TOUR money list.

• Greater Milwaukee Open: Closest brush with victory on the PGA TOUR came at the Greater Milwaukee Open where final-round 67 left him in second place, three behind winner Scott Hoch, for a $108,000 payday.

Amateur Highlights

• Was a teammate of Lee Janzen and Rocco Mediate at Florida Southern.

Q SCHOOL GRADUATE

• PGA TOUR: 1990
• PGA TOUR: 1991
• PGA TOUR: 1994
• PGA TOUR: 2005
• PGA TOUR: 2006