It took Mark Wiebe 24 years to accumulate his first 499 starts on the PGA Tour. It’s taken another nine years to hit the magic 500th.
But, appropriately, the Aurora resident will reach the major milestone at a major championship.
Wiebe, who last played in a PGA Tour event at the 2005 International at Castle Pines Golf Club, earned one more start by virtue of winning the 2013 Senior British Open in a playoff that lasted five holes against World Golf Hall of Famer Bernhard Langer. (Wiebe is pictured with the trophy in the wake of that victory.)
The winner of the Senior British earns an exemption into the following year’s British Open, which in this case will be played July 17-20 at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England. Then the following weekend, Wiebe will defend his Senior British Open title July 24-27 in Bridgend, Wales.
“I’m excited as hell to play in the British Open,” Wiebe said earlier this year in a phone interview. “That will be my 500th start on the PGA Tour. I’ve been sitting on 499 forever. I’m excited to go over and play in that. I want to make sure my health is good and want to go over and try to defend my title.”
Though Wiebe will be making his 500th PGA Tour start, it’ll be just his third at the British Open, where he missed the cut in 1997 and 2001. (Coincidentally, the 2001 British Open was won by David Duval, now a fellow Cherry Hills Country Club member with Wiebe. Duval is also entered in this year’s Open.)
One of the reasons Wiebe didn’t play in the British Open more is that the two PGA Tour events he won — the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic and the Hardee’s Golf Classic — both were usually scheduled near the middle of July, at roughly the same time as the British Open. But this year, he’s looking forward do his first British/Senior British doubleheader.
“What a fun trip,” the 56-year-old Colorado Golf Hall of Famer said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Wiebe, who moved to Colorado in the mid-1980s, was no stranger to being in contention on the PGA Tour. Besides his two victories, he recorded eight runner-up finishes, five thirds and 47 top-10s overall. He’s won more than $4.3 million.
But it’s on the Champions Tour where Wiebe has enjoyed more success, based on sheer victories. He’s won five times in nearly seven years on the senior circuit, including twice in 2013. He followed up his Senior British Open victory — his first major championship win — with a title last September in the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship, where he outdueled Corey Pavin in another playoff.
Wiebe has not only claimed more than $5.4 million in career earnings on the Champions circuit, but he has been remarkably consistent. In his first six full seasons on the Champions Tour, he’s placed in the top 30 on the final money list every time, including finishing 22nd last year.
So far this year hasn’t been up to Wiebe’s standards, in part due to ailments and injuries. The 1986 Colorado Open champion has yet to post a top-25 finish and currently stands 80th on the season-long money list.
But several big events await this month. Before the British Open and Senior British, Wiebe will compete in next week’s U.S. Senior Open in Edmond, Okla.
