Longtime Golf Journalist Tim Rosaforte Has Died

Tim Rosaforte, a former golf writer for Sports Illustrated and Golf Digest, died Tuesday of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 66 years old. 

In his career, Rosaforte covered more than 125 majors and 17 Ryder Cups, according to the PGA Tour. He was once president of the Golf Writers Association of America and received the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism in 2014.

Rosaforte was known as a golf insider for his work with the Golf Channel, which began in earnest in 2007 after appearing on the network in its early years. 

“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.

“A true professional, Tim always treated our organization and our athletes fairly, 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 be a part of the greater golf community.”

In 2020, a year after he retired, Rosaforte became the first journalist to receive a lifetime PGA membership. 

A native of Mount Kisco, N.Y., Rosaforte graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a journalism degree in 1977. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and three grandchildren.