Chris DiMarco

Christian Dean DiMarco (born August 23, 1968) is an American golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, and has been in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for over 50 weeks between 2002 and 2006.DiMarco was born in Huntington, New York. He attended University of Florida and turned professional in 1990. He won the Canadian Tour's order of merit in 1992 and finished ninth on the second tier Nike Tour in 1993 to earn his PGA Tour card. However he was not always able to maintain his place on the PGA Tour, and his first professional win came back on the Nike Tour at the 1997 Nike Ozarks Classic. However, as he moved into his thirties, he continued to improve, capturing his first trophy on the PGA Tour at the 2001 SEI Pennsylvania Classic. Further PGA Tour wins followed at the 2001 Buick Challenge and the 2002 Phoenix Open. The Phoenix win featured an infamous moment - as DiMarco was addressing a pressure putt at TPC's Scottsdale's infamous 16th hole, one of the raucous fans yelled 'Noonan!!' (a Caddyshack reference). DiMarco made the putt, then pointed at the fan and ordered him ejected. By 2004 he had finished in the top 20 on the PGA Tour money list for five straight seasons, and had finished tied second in the PGA Championship, losing the title to Vijay Singh in a three-way playoff. In 2005, DiMarco lost a sudden death playoff with Tiger Woods to finish second in The Masters. This result was good enough to move him into the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings. DiMarco finished as runner up in a major for the third time at the 2006 Open Championship at Hoylake. Yet again Tiger Woods was his nemesis, beating him by 2 shots. DiMarco's 70-65-69-68 (272, -16) came less than three weeks after the death of his mother, Norma. Woods, playing alongside Sergio Garcia in the final pairing one group behind DiMarco, was himself recovering from the death of his father, Earl.DiMarco was a member of the U.S. team in the 2003 and 2005 Presidents Cups and the 2004 and 2006 Ryder Cup. DiMarco sank the clinching putt in the 2005 Presidents Cup, but performed poorly in the 2006 Ryder Cup.Chris also hosts his own golf tournament at his local course, the Country Club of Heathrow, Florida. The "Norma DiMarco Tee Up For Life Golf Tournament", named in honor of his mother who died July 4, 2006, is held annually in aid of R.O.C.K (Reaching Out to Cancer Kids) and features celebrities and amateurs.