Who Was Mark Carnevale? His Journey From Pro to Casting Legend Explored

The PGA Tour Sirius XM Radio has lost one of its prominent voices with the sudden passing of Mark Carnevale at the age of 64, the PGA Tour reports. A beloved member of the PGA Tour Community had been a former professional golfer, a fact not many in the young generations are aware of, but Carnevale contributed to the game of golf in more than one way!

His story started in Annapolis, Maryland, on May 21, 1960. Carnevale was born into a big family. He had one sister and three brothers. His father was an athletic man. Ben Carnevale was the legendary basketball coach and guided North Carolina’s Tar Heels to its first-ever NCAA finals in 1946, which they eventually lost. Sr. Carnevale then became the head coach at Navy and when Mark Carnevale was only 12, the family moved to Williamsburg, Virginia.

There, the father became the William & Mary athletic director and his son started getting interested in sports. But unlike basketball, Carnevale’s calling was golf. So golf he did. After contemplating which university to join after graduating from high school, the then-junior Carnevale was admitted to James Madison University.

His collegiate career at James Madison was successful, as he clinched two individual titles and, later in life, became a member of the Hall of Fame in 1999. After graduating from the university in 1982 with a marketing major and an economics minor, Carnevale started working at a brokerage firm. At first, he never wanted to turn professional golfer. But things eventually changed.

How did Mark Carnevale turn professional?

While still young, Mark Carnevale didn’t deem the professional golf circuit something that suited him. In an interview with the Harrisonburg (Virginia) Daily News-Record, Carnevale told them, “The competition is unbelievable on the TOUR. I enjoy the game too much for that.” However, a year after his graduation, the 64-year-old had a change of heart.

He turned professional in 1983, following which Carnevale started playing on mini-tours and state open circuits. A year after his professional career announcement, he won the Virginia State Open in 1984. Then onwards, Carnevale started his journey to make it to the PGA Tour. It took seven years of toiling at Q-school for Carnevale to earn his PGA Tour card.

In between those years, he won the 1990 Utah Open, and then in 1991, he won the Qualifying Tournament to debut on the PGA Tour in 1992. The Annapolis native made 212 starts in his career at the Tour, but he could only win once in his lifetime. Being a rookie on the PGA Tour that year, Carnevale won the 1992 Chattanooga Classic after shooting 64 in the final round. After this, he was voted the Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour, surpassing the likes of Phil Mickelson.

After his victory, Carnevale had another shot at a triumph in 1994 at the Byron Nelson in Texas. he eventually lost the five-man playoffs but kept his spirits. However, the competition on the PGA Tour was getting more challenging. In 1997, Carnevale returned to the Korn Ferry Tour to gain full membership for the Tour. There, after many top finishes and a win at the Inland Empire Open, the former pro positioned himself second on the money, ultimately becoming a member of the PGA Tour again in 1998.

After several attempts at victory again, Carnevale decided to hang up his clubs entirely in 2005. Although his time as a pro golfer came to an end his association with the sport did not as he ventured into other golf-related professions.

Carnevale’s new career with the PGA Tour

In 2003, Mark Carnevale was playing on the PGA Tour through the past champions category. Meanwhile, he also had another opportunity at his door, which changed his career’s trajectory. As his professional golf career was not as booming as it once was, Carnevale decided to become a tournament director for the Virginia Beach Open in 2003, a Korn Ferry Tour event,

After two years of this stint, the 1-time PGA Tour winner turned his heels back to the PGA Tour but this time as a broadcaster. He joined the PGA Tour’s Radio on Sirius XM and fans loved his commentary and in-depth insights on the event. Even the commissioner, Jay Monahan, praised Carnevale and said, “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 – to fans from countless TOUR events through the years,” as he sent his condolences to the Carnevale family.

Most recently, Carnevale was working as the walking reporter at the Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club. He was also a frequent on the PGA Tour LIVE on ESPN+. Carnevale was expected to grace the 3M Open in TPC Twin Cities, Minnesota. However, fate had other plans. His life was one of inspiration and always surrounded by golf, which the whole golf world would remember for decades to come. RIP and condolences to the Carnevale family and his wife, Liz Boudreaux.