Chris DiMarco

Christian Dean DiMarco, born August 23, 1968, in Huntington, New York, is an American professional golfer now competing on the PGA Tour Champions. He has eight professional wins to his name, three of which came on the PGA Tour.

DiMarco’s family relocated to Florida when he was seven. He attended Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs, where he played for the Patriots golf team and started dating his future wife at 17. Sports ran in the family: both older brothers were athletes, his father played college basketball at St. John’s University, and his nephew Patrick DiMarco became a professional football player.

On an athletic scholarship to the University of Florida, DiMarco played for the Gator golf teams under coaches Lynn Blevins and Buddy Alexander from 1987 to 1990. In 1989, he shot a 209 to win the SEC individual title and helped the Gators claim the team championship. He was a seven-time medalist, first-team All-SEC in 1989 and 1990, SEC Player of the Year in 1990, and an All-American in 1988, 1989, and 1990.

Turning pro in 1990, DiMarco led the Canadian Tour’s money list in 1992 and finished ninth on the Nike Tour in 1993 to earn his PGA Tour card for 1994. He struggled to keep his card consistently, but his first professional victory came on the Nike Tour at the 1997 Nike Ozarks Open. As he entered his 30s, his game improved, and he captured his first PGA Tour title at the 2000 SEI Pennsylvania Classic.

His second PGA Tour win came at the 2001 Buick Challenge, where he sank a 15-foot birdie on the 18th to tie David Duval, then won on the first sudden-death playoff hole. He claimed his third PGA Tour event at the 2002 Phoenix Open, which included a notorious moment: as DiMarco addressed a pressure putt on TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole, a fan yelled “Noonan!” from the movie Caddyshack. DiMarco held his concentration, made the putt, then pointed at the fan and demanded his ejection. By 2004, he had finished in the PGA Tour’s top twenty on the money list for five straight seasons and tied for second at the PGA Championship, losing a three-way playoff to Vijay Singh.

In 2005, DiMarco lost a sudden-death playoff to Tiger Woods at The Masters. The final-round pairing featured Woods’ famous chip on the par-three 16th, which hung on the lip before dropping for a birdie, stretching his lead to two. That runner-up finish pushed DiMarco into the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings. He became a major runner-up for the third time at the 2006 Open Championship at Hoylake, where Woods beat him by two strokes. DiMarco posted rounds of 70-65-69-68 (272, −16) less than three weeks after his mother’s death.

His most consistent stretch came from 2002 to 2006, when he spent 61 weeks in the world’s top ten, peaking at number six in 2005. He represented the U.S. in the 2003 and 2005 Presidents Cup and the 2004 and 2006 Ryder Cup. At the 2005 Presidents Cup, he sank a 15-foot putt to beat Stuart Appleby and clinch the victory.

In 2007, DiMarco revealed a chronic shoulder injury and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder later that year. Despite the injury, he finished among the top 25 in six tournaments and earned over $950,000 in fewer than nine months. He has not played a full PGA Tour schedule since 2012 and is a frequent contributor to Golf Channel’s Morning Drive.

DiMarco has known his wife Amy (née Curtis) since seventh grade at Rock Lake Middle School in Longwood. They attended Lake Brantley High School together and went to prom. They have three children: two daughters and a son. Their son, Cristian DiMarco, played golf for the University of South Florida after transferring from Kentucky and turned professional in 2018.

DiMarco hosts an annual charity golf tournament at Heathrow Country Club in Heathrow, Florida. The “Norma DiMarco Tee Up For Life Golf Tournament,” named for his mother, raises funds for R.O.C.K (Reaching Out to Cancer Kids) and features celebrities and amateurs. As part of his participation, DiMarco plays the 12th hole with every foursome.

He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a “Gator Great” in 2002. His amateur wins include the 1988 Monroe Invitational and Western Amateur. His professional wins total eight, with three on the PGA Tour, one on the European Tour, one on the Nike Tour, one on the Canadian Tour, and two other victories. His PGA Tour playoff record is 1–2.