Longtime Golf Journalist Tim Rosaforte Dies at 66

Rosaforte covered the sport for Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated and Golf Channel, among others, and became one of the most trusted voices in the game.

Tim Rosaforte, one of golf's most accomplished journalists, died Tuesday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., of Alzheimer's disease. He was 66.

Rosaforte was one of the most trusted and familiar on-air reporters in golf at the time of his retirement from Golf Channel in 2019. He was at the network from 2007 to 2019 after stints at Golf Digest, Golf World and Sports Illustrated. He also covered golf for the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Rosaforte was one of the most trusted and familiar on-air reporters in golf at the time of his retirement from Golf Channel in 2019. He was at the network from 2007 to 2019 after stints at Golf Digest, Golf World and Sports Illustrated. He also covered golf for the South Florida Sen-Sentinel.

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

Here are links to some of his work in the Sports Illustrated Vault:

• Norman chews out Finchem for stealing his World Tour Idea

• An inside look at the champions' dressing room at the Masters

• The Class of 95: A vintage season is defined by 6 players who came up big

From the Golf Writers Association of America:

The GWAA and the sport of golf lost one of the great ones Tuesday when former GWAA president Tim Rosaforte passed away after a battle with aggressive Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 66.

Tim was our friend, colleague, mentor and one of the best persons you could ever know. 

He was tough, talented and fair and trusted by everyone in golf. He loved and respected the game and the people inside it, which showed in his award-winning reporting at every level — from newspapers to magazines to the Golf Channel, where he became the game’s insider. 

He set a high bar. Tim covered more than 125 majors during his career and was honored with the PGA of America’s Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award, the Memorial Tournament’s Golf Journalism Award and is the only journalist – and one of only 12 people — to be given an honorary membership in the PGA of America. As busy as he was, he always had time for a pressroom chat and, during Masters week, he never tired of being our go-to emcee at the annual GWAA Awards dinner each April.He will be missed by so many.

Some of the reaction from social media: