Player Profiles: Mark James

Mark James

Mark James, nicknamed Jesse by his fellow professionals was born in Manchester, England in 1953.
As an amateur, he struck a deal with his father that would study hard for his A-levels (he made two) in return for one full-time year of competitive golf as a amateur.

He won the English Amateur Championship in 1974 and was a member of the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team in 1975. His first professional victory came at the 1977 Lusaka Open and in 1978, he picked up the first of 18 European Tour titles at the Sun Alliance Match Play Championship.

James represented the European Team in the Ryder Cup seven times including 1989 when Europe tied the match and retained the cup they won in 1987. He was also in the team that won the Ryder Cup in 1995. In 1999, he captained the European Team at the Ryder Cup at Brookline. In 2000, James published a best selling book about the event called Into the Bear Pit.

Although James never won a major, he had four top five finishes at The Open and was consistently competitive on the European Tour with 20 top-30 finishes, including seven top-10 finishes.

James joined the senior circuit in 2003 and elected to play in the United States. He won the 2004 Ford Senior Players Championship, becoming the first European player to win a major on the Champions Tour, when he beat former Ryder Cup team mate Jose Maria Canizares by one shot.

In 2005 he won the ACE Classic and the 2005 European Senior Masters at Woburn. He added to his senior tally with the 2007 Allianz Championship in the USA and the 2009 Mallorca Senior Open, where he beat Eamonn Darcy in a play-off. He currently ranks 21st on the European Senior Tour money list.

James, who also works as a golf commentator for the BBC, resides in Ilkey, England with his wide Jane. A passionate gardener, He enjoys all sports, skiing and is somewhat of a science fiction nut. In 2000 he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, but after undergoing chemotherapy, made his comeback in 2001 at the PGA Championship at Wentworth. His golfing heroes are Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus and he lists his favourite golf courses as Woodhall Spa, the old course at Sunningdale and Portmarnock in Ireland. He is also an avid Elvis Presley fan.