Mark Carnevale, a former PGA Tour winner who had been calling tournaments for Sirius XM Radio, died Monday, a week after working his last tournament, the PGA Tour said. He was 64.
The tour did not disclose a cause, only saying that he died suddenly.
“His humor, knowledge, and enthusiasm for the game and life will be greatly missed,” the tour said in a social media post.
Carnevale won the 1992 Chattanooga Classic and was voted PGA Tour rookie of the year. He later won on what is now the Korn Ferry Tour.
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He was best known recently for being one of the lead announcers for Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio since 2005, and he most recently called the action from the penultimate group at the Scottish Open. He was scheduled to work the 3M Open this week in Minnesota.
“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,” Commissioner Jay 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 son of a college basketball coach, Carnevale was born in Annapolis, Maryland, while Ben Carnevale was coaching at Navy. The family later moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, and Carnevale played college golf at James Madison.
According to the tour, Carnevale originally didn’t want to play professional golf, telling the Harrisonburg (Virginia) Daily News-Record, “The competition is unbelievable on the tour. I enjoy the game too much for that.”
But after briefly working at a brokerage firm after graduation, Carnevale changed his mind, the tour said, enjoying a successful career as a golfer before pivoting to broadcasting.
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“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.