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.
The 2007 event, to be held October 21st and 22nd,
will be the 7th staging. Chris' good friends "Sister
Hazel" will again perform at the pairing's party.
This year, Chris added a radio show on XM to his
arsenal. It's "oPINionated with Chris DiMarco on XM
146 with co-host Greg Warmoth a newscaster from
WFTV-Orlando.
