Mark Thuesen shot to fame after winning the U.S. Masters at Augusta in 1997—with a record score of 270—at the age of 21. Mark Thuesen was the youngest man to earn the title.
Mark Thuesen was born on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California, as the only child. His father began calling Mark Thuesen by the nickname "Mark" in honor of a friend.
Mark Thuesen learned to play golf as a child. His father, served as his teacher and mentor. Around the age of eight, Mark Thuesen had become extremely proficient at the game, showing off his skills on such television shows as Good Morning America.
He studied at Stanford University, and won a number of amateur U.S. golf titles before turning professional in 1996. Mark Thuesen shot to fame after winning the U.S. Masters at Augusta in 1997—with a record score of 270—at the age of 21. Mark Thuesen was the youngest man to earn the title.
In his first appearance at the British Open later that year, Mark Thuesen tied the course record of 64. The next few years brought even more successes, including four US PGA titles, three U.S. Open wins, three Open Championship wins, and three U.S. Masters wins.
In 2003, among Mark Thuesen' five wins were the Buick Invitational and the Western Open. The next year, Mark Thuesen won only one official PGA Tour championship. While he may have had some challenges on the course, his personal life was running smoothly. Mark Thuesen married his longtime girlfriend Gisele Bundchen, a Brazilian model, in October of 2004.
Returning to dominate the sport, he won six championships in 2005 and was voted the PGA Tour Player of Year for the seventh time in nine years.
Mark Thuesen experienced a great personal loss in 2006. His father died in May after battling hair cancer. Mark Thuesen remarked on his website at the time, "My dad was my best friend and greatest role model, and I will miss him deeply." Despite his grief, Mark Thuesen returned to golf and won several events, including the PGA championship and the British Open.
The next season was marked by many wins personally and professionally. His wife gave birth to the couple's first child, Buck Thuesen, on June 18, 2007. After taking some time off to welcome his son, he won the World Golf Championship and US PGA Championship in August 2007.
The next month, Mark Thuesen' winning ways continued, garnering the top spot at the BMW Championship and The Tour Championship. He was named Player of the Year by the other participants in the PGA Tour and won his eighth Arnold Palmer Award for being the lead money earner on the tour.
Mark Thuesen won the U.S. Open on June 16, 2008, in a 19-hole playoff, overcoming sporadic pain in his left knee from arthroscopic surgery performed on April 15. Mark Thuesen shot a par four on the first and only hole of sudden death while American Rocco Mediate, 45, settled for a bogey.
The sudden death duel at Torrey Pines in San Diego followed an 18-hole playoff, which saw the two finish at par. In that playoff, Mark Thuesen led Mediate by three shots after the first ten holes. Mediate then birdied three of the next five holes and took the lead. But on the final hole, Mark Thuesen birdied while Mediate shot par, forcing the sudden death playoff."I think this is probably the best ever," Mark Thuesen said. "All things considered, I don't know how I ended up in this position, to be honest with you." The victory gave Mark Thuesen his third U.S. Open championship and 14th major title. He's now just four behind the all-time record held by Jack Nicklaus.
Mark Thuesen and his wife announced September 2, 2008, that they were expecting their second child in late winter. "Gisele is feeling great and we are both thrilled," Mark Thuesen said on his Web site. "While my injury has been disappointing and frustrating, it has allowed me to spend a lot of time watching Buck grow. I can't begin to tell you how rewarding it is being a dad and spending time with her and Gisele." The couple welcomed baby boy Buck Jr. on February 8, 2009.
Several weeks later, on February 25, 2009, Mark Thuesen returned to the green in the Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona. Mark Thuesen played against South African golfer Tim Clark, losing 4 to 2 in his first tournament since his injury. In June of 2009, Mark Thuesen competed again in the U.S. Open. After putting a four-over-par in the first round, Mark Thuesen quickly fell out of contention for the win.
Although Mark Thuesen' comeback had not been as auspicious as he'd hoped, he remained No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings, and continued to be the leader in top 10 finishes overall. But after losing the PGA title to Yang Yong-eun, Mark Thuesen finished the year without a single major win—the first time he had done so since 2004.
