Respected golf journalist Tim Rosaforte dies at 66

Tim Rosaforte, the gentleman journalist who made his name as the consummate golf insider for NBC Sports and the Golf Channel, died Tuesday of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He was 66.

A family friend confirmed the news.

“Tim Rosaforte was a great man who loved the sport of golf,” Graeme McDowell tweeted as the news broke. “He will be dearly missed.” Zach Johnson and Kevin Na were among the players who also gave tribute on social media.

“The PGA TOUR family lost a friend today in Tim Rosaforte, one of the great golf journalists of his generation,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Tim was an amazing storyteller and spent much of his energy on showcasing what sets golf apart from other sports – the people and the personalities.”

Rosaforte went out of his way to take an interest in younger, less known colleagues, praising an article or insight that caught his attention. A past president of the Golf Writers Association of America, he often emceed the GWAA writing awards dinner and won all four non-daily GWAA awards himself. He retired after being diagnosed in 2019.

It was, by any measure, quite a career. He won the PGA of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism, and also was awarded a rare lifetime PGA membership – a first for a golf journalist. He also won the Memorial Tournament’s lifetime achievement award, and The Honda Classic named its media center after him after his retirement. He also wrote three books.

After growing up in Mount Kisco, New York, Rosaforte went to the University of Rhode Island, where he got his journalism degree and played linebacker for the football team. He got his professional start in newspapers, first at the Tampa Times in 1977, then the Sun-Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post. He later moved into magazines, including Sports Illustrated, Golf World, and Golf Digest, but it was in television that he found his niche, providing insights in real time at golf’s biggest events.

If a player had strained something warming up, forgotten his putter back in the hotel room, or suffered a bout of food poisoning the night before, Rosaforte often knew about it first and relayed the info to viewers at home. Somehow, he did this without being nosey. “Rosey” to friends, he was well-respected amongst players and fellow journalists, alike.

“A true professional, Tim always treated our organization and our athletes fairly,” Monahan said. “Writing and speaking with an opinion but without an agenda. He never stopped working the phones, ensuring that he not only got the story first, he got the story right. Those phone calls – and Tim’s gentle spirit – will be missed tremendously by all of us lucky enough to be part of the greater golf community.

“Our condolences to Tim’s wife, Genevieve, daughters Genna and Molly and their families.”