Quick Facts
Biography
Carlos Daniel Franco (born 24 May 1965) is a Paraguayan professional golfer. He is the brother of golfer Angel Franco.
Franco was born in Asunción, Paraguay. He comes from a poor background and grew up in a one-room, dirt-floor home. His father was a greenkeeper and caddie, and he has five brothers, all of whom became golf professionals. Carlos turned professional in 1986 and has played in many parts of the world. He has won more than twenty tournaments in Latin America, and from 1994 to 1999 he won five times on the Japan Golf Tour. He also claimed the 1994 Philippine Open title on the Asian Tour. He first played on the U.S.-based PGA Tour in 1999 and was fully exempt until 2006. He was the first rookie to surpass $1 million in earnings in a season and won the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year title. He won four times on the PGA Tour. He has featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings, going as high as 16th in 2000. He is also one of the few non-Americans to win a Presidents Cup as a member of the 1998 team.
After struggling to stay on the PGA Tour, Franco also played on the Web.com Tour and PGA Tour Latinoamérica. Franco joined the Champions Tour after turning 50.
Professional wins (25)
PGA Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 May 1999 | Compaq Classic of New Orleans | −19 (66-69-68-66=269) | 2 strokes |  Steve Flesch, Harrison Frazar |
| 2 | 11 Jul 1999 | Greater Milwaukee Open | −16 (65-66-67-66=264) | 2 strokes | Tom Lehman |
| 3 | 7 May 2000 | Compaq Classic of New Orleans | −18 (67-67-68-68=270) | Playoff | Blaine McCallister |
| 4 | 25 Jul 2004 | U.S. Bank in Milwaukee | −13 (68-63-69-67=267) | 2 strokes | Fred Funk, Brett Quigley |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | Compaq Classic of New Orleans | Blaine McCallister | Won with par on second extra hole |
Japan Golf Tour wins (5)
Asian circuit wins (1)
- 1994 Philippine Open
PGA Tour Champions wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Sep 2016 | Shaw Charity Classic | 66-63-63=192 | −18 | 2 strokes | Michael Allen,  Bernhard Langer |
| 2 | 23 Apr 2017 | Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf (with  Vijay Singh) | 51-42=93 | −15 | 1 stroke | Paul Goydos & Kevin Sutherland Corey Pavin & Duffy Waldorf Fred Funk & Jeff Sluman |
Other wins (13)
- 1985 Chile Open
- 1986 Chaco Open (Argentina)
- 1987 Asunción Open (Paraguay)
- 1990 Norpatagonico Open (Argentina)
- 1991 Daytron Cup (Paraguay)
- 1992 Paraguay Open
- 1993 Los Leones Open (Chile), Uruguay Open, Asunción Open (Paraguay)
- 2000 Paraguay Open
- 2001 Brazil Open
- 2003 Brazil Open
- 2004 Center Open (Argentina)
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T6 | T7 | 46 | CUT | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | T34 | T61 | CUT | WD | CUT | |||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T64 | CUT | CUT | T54 | |||||||
| PGA Championship | T40 | T26 | T58 | T29 | T18 | T31 | T59 |
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 14 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (1998 Open Championship – 1999 U.S. Open)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)