Chris DiMarco

Chris DiMarco
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name Christian Dean DiMarco
Born August 23, 1968
Huntington, New York
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 13 st)
Nationality  United States
Residence Heathrow, Florida
Career
College University of Florida
Turned professional 1990
Current tour(s) PGA Tour (joined 1994)
Former tour(s) Canadian Tour
Nike Tour
Nationwide Tour
Professional wins 7
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 3
European Tour 1
Web.com Tour 1
Other 2
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament 2nd: 2005
U.S. Open T9: 2004
The Open Championship 2nd: 2006
PGA Championship T2: 2004

Christian Dean DiMarco (born August 23, 1968) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. DiMarco has won seven tournaments as a pro, including three PGA Tour events.

Early years

DiMarco was born in Huntington, New York in 1968, and moved to Florida with his family at the age of 7.[1] He attended Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs, Florida, where he played for the Lake Brantley Patriots high school golf team and began dating his future wife at the age of 17.[1] DiMarco was raised in a sports-oriented family; both of his older brothers were athletes, and his father played college basketball for St. John's University.[1] DiMarco's nephew Patrick DiMarco started his NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs in December 2012 and currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons at the full back position.

College career

He accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Lynn Blevins and coach Buddy Alexander's Florida Gators men's golf teams in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1987 to 1990.[2] As a Gator golfer, he shot a three-round score of 209 to win the Southeastern Conference (SEC) individual title in 1989, while leading the Gators to an SEC team championship.[2] He also was a seven-time medalist, a first-team All-SEC selection in 1989 and 1990, the SEC Player of the Year in 1990, and an All-American in 1988, 1989 and 1990.[2][3] DiMarco was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2002.[4][5]

Professional career

DiMarco turned professional in 1990. He won the Canadian Tour's Order of Merit as its money leader in 1992,[6] and finished ninth on the second-tier Nike Tour in 1993 to earn his PGA Tour card.[7] However, he was not always able to maintain his place on the PGA Tour, and he won his first professional tournament on the Nike Tour at the 1997 NIKE Ozarks Open.[8] As he moved into his 30s, he continued to improve, capturing his first trophy on the PGA Tour at the 2000 SEI Pennsylvania Classic.[9]

His second PGA Tour victory was the 2001 Buick Challenge, where he sank a 15-foot birdie on the 18th hole to tie leader David Duval, and then won on the first hole of a sudden death playoff.[10] He won his third PGA Tour event at the 2002 Phoenix Open, which featured an infamous moment—as DiMarco was addressing a pressure putt at TPC Scottsdale's 16th hole, one of the fans yelled "Noonan!" (a reference from the movie Caddyshack).[11] DiMarco maintained his concentration and sank the putt, then pointed at the fan and demanded that a tournament official eject him.[11] By 2004, he had finished in the top twenty on the PGA Tour money list for five straight seasons, and had tied for second in the PGA Championship, losing the title to Vijay Singh in a three-way playoff.[12] In 2005, DiMarco lost a sudden-death playoff with Tiger Woods to finish second in The Masters.[13][14] The Masters result moved him into the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings.[13] DiMarco finished as the runner-up in a major for the third time at the 2006 Open Championship at Hoylake; Tiger Woods beating him by two strokes.[15] DiMarco achieved his four-round score of 70–65–69–68 (272, -16) less than three weeks after the death of his mother.[15][16]

Arguably, DiMarco enjoyed his most consistent success from 2002 to 2006, when he was ranked in the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings for 61 weeks, going as high as number six in the world in 2005.[17] DiMarco was also a member of the U.S. national team in the 2003 and 2005 Presidents Cup,[18][19] and the Ryder Cup competitions in 2004 and 2006.[20][21] DiMarco sank a 15-foot putt to beat Stuart Appleby and clinch the 2005 Presidents Cup.[22]

In 2007, he disclosed that he was suffering from a chronic shoulder injury,[23] and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder later that year.[24] Notwithstanding the injury, DiMarco still finished among the top 25 in six tournaments and earned more than $950,000 in fewer than nine months in 2007.[24]

DiMarco has not played a full PGA Tour schedule since 2012.

Personal

DiMarco has known his wife Amy since the seventh grade, when both attended Rock Lake Middle School in Longwood, Florida.[1] Later, both were students at Lake Brantley High School, and attended their high school prom together.[1] They have three children—two daughters and a son.[1]

He hosts his own annual charity golf tournament at his local course, the Country Club of Heathrow in Heathrow, Florida.[25] The "Norma DiMarco Tee Up For Life Golf Tournament," named in honor of his mother who died from cancer in 2006, raises funds for R.O.C.K (Reaching Out to Cancer Kids), and features celebrities and amateurs.[25] As part of his personal participation in the event, DiMarco plays the 12th hole with every foursome in the tournament.[7]

Amateur wins (1)

Professional wins (7)

PGA Tour wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of victoryRunner(s)-up
1 Sep 17, 2000 SEI Pennsylvania Classic –14 (68-67-66-69=270) 6 strokes United States Mark Calcavecchia, United States Brad Elder,
United States Scott Hoch, United States Jonathan Kaye, United States Chris Perry
2 Oct 28, 2001 Buick Challenge –21 (67-64-71-65=267) Playoff United States David Duval
3 Jan 27, 2002 Phoenix Open –17 (68-64-66-69=267) 1 stroke United States Kenny Perry, Japan Kaname Yokoo

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2001 Buick Challenge United States David Duval Won with par on first extra hole
2 2004 PGA Championship United States Justin Leonard, Fiji Vijay Singh Singh won three-hole playoff (Singh:10, DiMarco:11, Leonard:11)
3 2005 Masters Tournament United States Tiger Woods Lost to birdie on first extra hole

European Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of victoryRunner-up
1 Jan 22, 2006 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship –20 (71-67-63-67=268) 1 stroke Sweden Henrik Stenson

Nationwide Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of victoryRunner-up
1 Aug 17, 1997 NIKE Ozarks Open –12 (66-70-68=204)^ 1 stroke United States Robin Freeman

^ Shortened to 54 holes due to inclement weather

Other wins (2)

Results in major championships

Tournament 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Masters Tournament DNP DNP DNP T10 T12 WD T6 2 CUT CUT DNP
U.S. Open T32 DNP DNP T16 T24 T35 T9 CUT CUT T45 DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP CUT T47 T66 CUT T63 T67 2 T23 DNP
PGA Championship DNP T41 T15 T16 T39 56 T2 CUT T12 CUT T31

DNP = did not play
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied for place
Yellow background for top-10.

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 1 0 1 3 4 7 4
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 1 3 8 6
The Open Championship 0 1 0 1 1 2 8 6
PGA Championship 0 1 0 1 1 4 10 8
Totals 0 3 0 3 6 13 33 24

Results in World Golf Championship events

Tournament20002001200220032004200520062007
Accenture Match Play Championship DNP R64 R32 R64 R16 2 R16 R32
CA Championship T25 NT1 T11 T70 T36 T64 T22 T32
Bridgestone Invitational DNP DNP T28 T33 T6 2 T27 T4

1Cancelled due to 9/11
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No Tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Bill Ernst, "Chris DiMarco: Seminole County's champion," Seminole Magazine (Undated 2004). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 28, 34, 35, 41 (2010). Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  3. ↑ 2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 36 (2008). Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  4. ↑ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Nine Former Gators Named to UF Hall of Fame," GatorZone.com (April 5, 2002). Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Who To Watch," York Daily Record (June 30, 1993).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Laury Livsey, "DiMarco reaches out with Tee Up for Life event," PGATour.com (November 2, 2009). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  8. ↑ Associated Press, "DiMarco claims Ozarks win," The Gainesville Sun, p. 3C (August 18, 1997). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  9. ↑ Joe Logan, "Skipped practices making perfect," Philadelphia Inquirer (September 11, 2002). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  10. ↑ Associated Press, "DiMarco works overtime to top Duval," Chicago Sun-Times, p. 79 (October 29, 2001).
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Clifton Brown, "Golf; An Unflappable DiMarco Turns Around a Brief Retreat," The New York Times (January 28, 2002). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  12. ↑ Leonard Shapiro, "For Singh, a Most Pleasant Surprise," The Washington Post, p. D1 (August 16, 2004). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Damon Hack, "DiMarco Comes Close in Another Major," The New York Times (April 29, 2005). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  14. ↑ Jerry Potter, "DiMarco recovers, fights to the end," USA Today (April 19, 2005). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Damon Hack, "Count Woods Among the Admirers of DiMarco," The New York Times (August 3, 2006). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  16. ↑ PGA.com, The Open Championship, Chris DiMarco 2006 Scorecard. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  17. ↑ Official World Golf Rankings, Archive, 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking." Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  18. ↑ Associated Press, "Heroes and goats overlooked in the chaos," ESPN.com (November 25, 2003). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  19. ↑ Alan Shipnuck, "United Mates," Sports Illustrated (December 26, 2005). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  20. ↑ Jim McCabe, "Americans dominated by Europe's brilliance," Boston Globe (September 20, 2004). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  21. ↑ Bob Harig, "The U.S. could win more if its best played better," ESPN.com (September 26, 2006). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  22. ↑ Damon Hack, "Presidents Cup: DiMarco shines his 'moment'," San Francisco Chronicle (September 26, 2005). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  23. ↑ Associated Press, "Chris DiMarco," First Coast News (May 11, 2007). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "DiMarco undergoes surgery on left shoulder," ESPN.com (September 12, 2007). Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Norma DiMarco Tee Up for Life Charity Golf Tournament Raises More than $330,000," GolfOrlandoFlorida.com (November 13, 2009). Retrieved July 16, 2011.

External links