Carlos Franco


Carlos Daniel Franco is a Paraguayan professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions.

Early life

In 1965, Franco was born in Asunción, the Paraguayan capital. 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. One of his brothers is Ángel Franco.

Professional career

In 1986, Franco turned professional. He 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 won the 1994 Philippine Open title on the Asia Golf Circuit and claimed the Order of Merit title that season.
Franco 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. He has won twice at the Shaw Charity Classic and the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf, a pairs tournament with Vijay Singh. At the 2019 Pan American Games, Franco teamed with Fabrizio Zanotti, Julieta Granada, and Sofia García, to win the silver medal in the mixed team event.

Professional wins (25)

PGA Tour wins (4)

PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
12000Compaq Classic of New Orleans

PGA of Japan Tour wins (5)

PGA of Japan Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
11996Dydo Drinco Shizuoka Open|1870

Asia Golf Circuit wins (1)

Asia Golf Circuit playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11994Manila Southwoods Philippine Open|1984

Tour de las Américas wins (5)

Other wins (8)

Results in major championships

WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Results in World Golf Championships

1Cancelled due to 9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament

Results in senior major championships

Results are not in chronological order before 2022.
Tournament201520162017201820192020202120222023
The TraditionT48T34T3468NTT74
Senior PGA ChampionshipCUTT38T49T28NTCUT
U.S. Senior OpenCUTT28NTCUT
Senior Players ChampionshipT20T54T4367T56T72T61T70
Senior British Open ChampionshipCUTT18T43NTT29CUT

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Team appearances