PGA Tour Winner, 1992 Rookie of the Year Mark Carnevale Dies

Carnevale was the 1992 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and the son of Ben Carnevale, the all-time leader in wins as Navy basketball coach

Mark Carnevale, who was the 1992 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, moved to the First Coast shortly thereafter and won over a generation of golf fans on PGA Tour Radio. He died suddenly on July 22 at the age of 64.

PGATour.com was the first to report his passing. No cause of death was immediately given.

“Mark was a fun-loving, happy guy,” said Duke Butler III, a former Tour player and tournament director who regularly played golf with Carnevale as part of “The Munchkins,” a group at TPC Sawgrass made up of former players and Tour executives. “He had a great attitude about life and golf. He was happy to be there.”

Carnevale also regularly participated in charity golf tournaments and the Henry Tuten Gator Bowl Pro-Am.

Carnevale’s father Ben coached Tar Heels, Navy

Carnevale was originally from Annapolis, Maryland, where his father Ben coached basketball at Navy from 1947 to 1966. He went 257-160 (61.6) and remains the winningest coach in school history.

Ben Carnevale also coached North Carolina to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1946, where they lost to Oklahoma A&M 43-40 in the championship game, finishing 30-5. Carnevale coached the Tar Heels for two years, going 52-11, before moving on to Navy.

Mark Carnevale grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia, where his father was athletic director from 1972 to 1981. Carnevale played collegiate golf at nearby James Madison before turning pro in 1983. He is a member of the JMU Athletic Hall of Fame and was the first Dukes player to play in the Open Championship.

Carnevale qualified for the PGA Tour on his seventh attempt

It took him nearly a decade to reach the Tour, making his seventh attempt at the national qualifying tournament. Carnevale finished tied for 18th in 1991, and after making five of his first 10 cuts, his game began to come into shape with a tie for 13th at the BellSouth Classic and a tie for 19th at the Western Open.

Carnevale went on to win his only PGA Tour title at the Chattanooga Classic, shooting a final-round 64 to beat Ed Dougherty and Dan Forsman by two strokes.

Carnevale lost in a playoff for the Byron Nelson Classic in 1994 and lost his card in 1996. He returned to the Tour after winning the Korn Ferry Tour’s Inland Empire Open in 1997, which earned him a second-place finish on the money list.

Carnevale last played on the Tour in 1998, but remained active as tournament director of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Virginia Beach Open.

Carnevale started a second career at PGA Tour Radio

Most golf fans knew Carnevale as an on-course commentator for PGA Tour Radio on Sirius XM, where his insight, knowledge of Tour players and humor endeared him to listeners. He worked for the network for 19 years, with his last assignment two weeks ago at the Scottish Open.

Carnevale was scheduled for this week’s 3M Open in Blaine, Minnesota.

In addition to his work on PGA Tour Radio, Carnevale was a frequent guest on 1010-XL and a valued source for other local media on issues surrounding the PGA Tour.

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

Commissioner praises Carnevale for its versatility

“Mark has long been a beloved member of the Tour family,” said commissioner Jay Monahan.

“He was a member of that elite club, a PGA Tour winner, and then served in numerous roles within the industry, most recently as a key voice in PGA Tour Radio’s coverage,” Monahan continued. “Mark knew the game and did a tremendous job of delivering insights from his unique perspective — and with an engaging spirit and sense of humor — to fans at countless Tour events over the years. We will miss Mark and extend our condolences to his loved ones.”

Carnevale played in 212 PGA Tour events and 66 on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Butler said Carnevale seemed to enjoy golfing more after he stopped playing golf for his job.

“He had a great attitude about it,” Butler said. “When he turned 55, he moved to the white tees and told us, ‘I’m not going back.'”

Carnevale is survived by four siblings: sister Jeanne (Skip Hansford); brothers Robert (Karen), Dave (Nancy), and Dan (Lana); and his companion Liz Boudreaux. Funeral arrangements are pending.