Mark Carnevale, famed PGA Tour announcer and former player, dead at 64

PGA Tour broadcaster and former Tour winner Mark Carnevale died on Monday, a week after covering his last tournament. 

He was 64 years old.

The untimely passing stunned the golf community and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan called Carnevale a “beloved part of the TOUR family.” 

“He was a member of that elite club, a PGA Tour winner, and then he held numerous roles within the industry, most recently as a significant voice in PGA Tour Radio’s coverage,” Monahan said in a statement. “Mark knew the game and did a terrific job of conveying insights from his unique point of view — and with an engaging wit and sense of humor.”

The cause of his death was not revealed and the PGA Tour would only say that he died suddenly. 

Carnevale competed in 212 PGA Tour events during the course of his golf career and in 1992 he earned Rookie of the Year honors at the age of 32 after he won the Chattanooga Classic. 

He would later go on to turn his attention to the Korn Ferry Tour and eventually became the tournament director of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Virginia Beach Open in 2003. 

Carnevale made 66 Korn Ferry Tour starts in his career. 

It was in 2005 that he moved into broadcasting and began reporting at PGA Tour events for SiriusXM Radio, with his last assignment having been the Scottish Open two weeks ago. 

“Mark Carnevale was an integral part of live coverage on our streaming platforms and PGA TOUR Radio coverage. He was a consummate professional, who was respected by the PGA TOUR players he covered, and his insightful analysis and humor will be greatly missed,” Greg Hopfe, PGA TOUR Entertainment senior vice president and executive producer, said in a statement. 

Carnevale’s next assignment was slated to be this week’s 3M Open in Minnesota. 

Carnevale had been the son of college basketball coach Ben Carnevale and the golfer later played golf collegiately at James Madison University.