Winning a major championship in golf is hard and even when a player comes so close to getting more than one add to their resume, it’s no guarantee of them eventually winning.
While Tiger Woods dominated the majors in the 2000s, a number of other players tried to chip away and grab one for themselves whenever Tiger wasn’t quite so hot.
Over the years, the likes of Padraig Harrington, Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson all got themselves in on the act.
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However, one man who came close on more than one occasion – including a runner up spot to Tiger Woods in 2005 – was Chris DiMarco.
But like so many others who came so close to huge success, DiMarco faced heartbreak after heartbreak when it came to winning those majors.
How Chris DiMarco finished second three times in majors but never won
Chris DiMarco was a fine golfer in his own right and won three times on the PGA Tour, as well as being chosen to represent the US Ryder Cup team more than once.
However, when it came to winning a major, DiMarco just could not get it done.
At the PGA Championship in 2004, DiMarco came agonisingly close to winning a major when he ended up in a three-way playoff with Vijay Singh and Justin Leonard.
However, DiMarco and Leonard could only make par on the playoff hole, while the impressive Singh made birdie to win again.
In 2005, DiMarco was part of the group with Tiger Woods that saw him famously chip in on the 16th hole to the ‘in your life have you ever seen anything like that’ commentary. Again, DiMarco would fall short in a playoff, as Woods rolled in a 15-footer to win on the 18th.
Fast forward to 2006, and Woods would once again prove to be the enemy for DiMarco, this time, at The Open.
With DiMarco playing one of the tournaments of his life to finish 16 under par, Woods produced even better, finishing at -18 to win at Royal Troon and break DiMarco’s heart.
Chris DiMarco’s PGA Tour career in numbers
It’s a great shame that Chris DiMarco never did get over the line and win that elusive major but in terms of his actual PGA Tour career, he can consider it a success.
DiMarco has had a long and successful career, taking in 518 starts on the PGA Tour and adding a further 139 starts on the Champions Tour.
Yes, he’s only won three times in those 650 plus events, but with 33 top five finishes and another 63 top tens, DiMarco has more than earned his keep.
The PGA Tour states he’s won $22,656,443 over his career, adding another $1,686,960 in Champions Tour prize money.
Those figures, in addition to his near-misses in majors and his wins on the international scene, mean there is no reason for DiMarco to look back on his career with any disdain.
Still, given how close he came to those majors, he’ll always have that element of ‘what if’.
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