{"id":6813,"date":"2021-11-29T09:51:33","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T14:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=6813"},"modified":"2021-12-07T16:34:24","modified_gmt":"2021-12-07T21:34:24","slug":"the-pros-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/fall-2021\/the-pros-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pro’s Pro"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Rosaforte arrives at the Golf Writers Association of America Awards dinner prior to the start of the 2015 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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When golf journalist Tim Rosaforte \u201977 became just the 12th person ever to be awarded honorary PGA of America membership, no one was surprised. Rosaforte retired from a brilliant and influential career in 2019, when he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer\u2019s. Rosaforte\u2019s legacy includes a 溏心vlog免费B站 scholarship to help students studying neuroscience, the result of a team effort by his friends and colleagues, who will tell you that his real legacy is kindness, integrity, and trustworthiness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

By T.J. Auclair \u201902<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there were a Mount Rushmore of modern-day golf journalists, Tim Rosaforte \u201977 would be on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A giant in the world of golf journalism, Rosaforte earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in journalism and played on the 溏心vlog免费B站 football team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaime Diaz, an awarding-winning golf writer and friend of Rosaforte, notes that there are parallels between Rosaforte\u2019s football-playing days and his writing. He describes a phone call with Dave Campo, former Dallas Cowboys head coach and assistant football coach at University of Bridgeport (Conn.), where Rosaforte was a player in his first year of college, before he transferred to 溏心vlog免费B站.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rosaforte
Rosaforte presented the Male Player of the Year award to Tiger Woods at the Golf Writer’s Association of America awards dinner in Savannah, Ga., in 2007.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI called Dave Campo when I was writing a story about Tim in 2014, when he won the PGA of America Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism,\u201d says Diaz, a longtime writer at Sports Illustrated<\/em>, Golf Digest<\/em>, and Golf World<\/em> before moving to Golf Channel. \u201cCampo hadn\u2019t seen Tim since his football days but had instant memories of him. Campo described him as, \u2018a good player who studied film, took angles, understood limitations, and played hard. He was one of those rare athletes who got almost all of it out of himself.\u2019 I think Tim did that in his journalism career, too. Tim read that and said to me, \u2018I will always keep that. That\u2019s me. I took that football formula and that\u2019s my life.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A legendary golf insider whose extensive contact list includes the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, as well as past U.S. presidents and countless Fortune 500 CEOs, Rosaforte began his remarkable career at the Tampa Times<\/em> in 1977. He had stops at the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel<\/em>, The Palm Beach Post<\/em>, and Sports Illustrated<\/em> before heading to Golf Digest<\/em> and Golf World<\/em>, followed by a broadcast and writing career with Golf Channel. In 2019, the 66-year-old Rosaforte\u2014arguably the most recognizable figure in golf media\u2014was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer\u2019s, leading to the difficult decision to retire after a career that spanned four decades. The 2020 Masters Tournament, normally held in April, but postponed until November due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marked the first time Rosaforte had missed the Masters since 1983.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really didn\u2019t know he was having memory issues,\u201d says Craig Dolch, another award-winning golf writer and one of Rosaforte\u2019s dearest friends. \u201cHe called me in late-December 2019 to tell me he was leaving the Golf Channel but didn\u2019t get into specifics. I had heard from others that something was wrong\u2014he originally thought it was anxiety. When I saw him at the 2020 Honda Classic, it hit me how he was struggling. We talked a little about it, but it was more about two old friends trying to catch up. It\u2019s heartbreaking. I miss playing golf with him. I miss going to concerts with him. I miss calling him and bouncing ideas off him. I miss his smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRosaforte had two cell phones working at the same time. Arnold on line one, Tiger on line two.\u201d
\u2014Jim Nantz, CBS Sports lead announcer for golf, the NFL, and the NCAA Final Four<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTim forever changed the golf media business, becoming the first true insider who gave you facts and inside info, not outrageous opinions,\u201d Dolch adds. \u201cHe managed to stay relevant to two generations of star golfers.\u201d

Jim Nantz, CBS Sports lead announcer for golf, the NFL, and the NCAA Final Four, describes Rosaforte as one of the most connected and trusted members of the golf media, someone who is on top of everything happening at the highest level of the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe had two cell phones working at the same time,\u201d Nantz says. \u201cArnold on line one, Tiger on line two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo see Tim struggle with Alzheimer\u2019s has been sad and shocking at the same time,\u201d Nantz continues. \u201cHis mind was razor sharp for so long and then, all of a sudden, he was lost. Sadly, due to my father\u2019s own battle with this insidious disease, I know the heartache it has caused for all who love Tim. Genevieve [Rosaforte\u2019s wife] and the girls have handled the caregiving side of this with beautiful grace. It\u2019s the untold story of Alzheimer\u2019s. There are more people whose lives are changed almost overnight than just the one who is suffering from the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosaforte authored five books, covered 147 major championships and 17 Ryder Cups, and won over 40 awards for writing, including a Golf Writers Association of America \u201cGrand Slam\u201d for first-place magazine coverage in features, columns, event coverage, and special projects. In 2020, he became the 12th person ever to be awarded honorary PGA of America membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTim has connections like Tom Brady has rings.\u201d
\u2014Rich Lerner, host and commentator, Golf Channel<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou hear the phrase \u2018pro\u2019s pro,\u2019\u201d says Rich Lerner, a longtime colleague of Rosaforte\u2019s at Golf Channel. \u201cTim is the quintessential pro\u2019s pro. Busts his tail every day, working the smallest event with as much determination and focus as the biggest. I\u2019d joke with him, \u201830 years into a legendary career, you\u2019re hustling like a rookie trying to make an impression in his first week.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTim has connections like Tom Brady has rings,\u201d Lerner adds. \u201cPresidents, Hall of Famers, superstars, actors. Rosie\u2019s phone is a valuable piece of equipment. It speaks to his greatest strength: Trustworthiness. People trust Tim. Athletes will share with a reporter if they trust the reporter. Tim is, without question, one of the best golf journalists ever. Tim\u2019s as generous and sweet as he is tough. He never let go of the old football player\u2019s instinct for the ball, but he has a soft heart, too. For the 20 years my wife, Robin, and I, ran our charity golf event, Tim always made an appearance and a donation. He cares about the people in his life and about his work. One of the best human beings I have ever known. Loyal. Gives a damn. Smart. Tough. Good-hearted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rosaforte with George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States, at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Walker Cup at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla. Bush’s father, the late George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, is one of the other 11 honorary PGA members.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Rosaforte presents the Charlie Bartlett Award to Jack Nicklaus during the Golf Writers Association of America 37th annual awards dinner in 2009 at the Savannah Rapids Pavillion in Augusta, Ga.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In recent months, fellow 溏心vlog免费B站 graduates Steve Napoli \u201977 and Tom Ryan \u201975, Hon. \u201999, put together a team\u2014which includes Rhode Island\u2019s own Brad Faxon, an eight-time PGA Tour winner\u2014to work with the University to create the Tim Rosaforte III \u201977 Endowed Scholarship in Neuroscience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in the golf industry my whole life and we crossed paths a lot,\u201d explains Napoli, the 2003 recipient of the PGA of America Bill Strausbaugh Award, a national award given to an instructor who excels in mentoring fellow PGA professionals. \u201cHonestly, I was sitting home one night, and I heard what was going on with Tim. I sent Tom [Ryan] a text and said, \u2018Hey, Tom, wouldn\u2019t it be nice if our alma mater could honor Tim in some way?\u2019 Then, quite frankly, it took on a life of its own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ryan, former chairman, president, and CEO of CVS\/Caremark, was happy to get involved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we approached 溏心vlog免费B站 and the foundation about it, they were thrilled,\u201d Ryan says. \u201cThey couldn\u2019t have been happier, and they ran with it. It was easy to do. Tim\u2019s one of the great guys. People want to help him and his family and have some legacy at 溏心vlog免费B站 for Tim. That\u2019s the real key\u2014have a legacy for Tim. This endowment will go on in perpetuity and help students in years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cause is close to Ryan\u2019s heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Ryan and his wife, Cathy, formed the University\u2019s George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience\u2014named in honor of Ryan\u2019s parents\u2014to support innovation in discovery science and translational medicine in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI lost my dad to Alzheimer\u2019s, and I lost my mom because she took care of him,\u201d Ryan says. \u201cAlzheimer\u2019s really killed them both, so it\u2019s near to our family. We\u2019re trying to make a difference and collaborate with other institutions around the country and the world. There\u2019s no one who doesn\u2019t know someone who has dementia or Alzheimer\u2019s. It\u2019s going to be a health-care tsunami with our aging demograpics. We must find a way to slow the progression and ultimately find a cure to this heartbreaking disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBrad, Steve, and I met Tim and Genevieve for breakfast,\u201d Ryan adds. \u201cI presented some scholarship options that could be endowed in Tim\u2019s name. It was a short discussion. The Rosaforte family wanted to help students majoring in interdisciplinary neuroscience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faxon can\u2019t remember when he first met Rosaforte, but says he was \u201comnipresent\u201d if you were a player on the PGA Tour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny time in my career that Tim came up to me, or called, I answered,\u201d Faxon says. \u201cIt was always with a smile. The way he asked questions, he earned your trust. Every player felt the same. He had the ability to garner contact information to get the inside-the-ropes trust and you always felt you could tell him things off the record and feel secure. We had an extra bond because of his Rhode Island connection.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faxon says that bond with Rosaforte was especially noteworthy to him after the United States lost the 1995 Ryder Cup\u2014a biennial competition between the best golfers in the United States and Europe\u2014in heartbreaking fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe all had to go in the pressroom,\u201d Faxon remembers. \u201cAnd you know those times when there\u2019s just nothing more to be said? This was one of those times. I remember sitting next to Tim and we didn\u2019t say anything. It was just comforting. There wasn\u2019t anything to say. A lot of journalists need a quick quote, but he sat there with us like he had lost, too.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like so many other giants in the golf world, Jack Nicklaus and Annika S\u00f6renstam\u2014arguably the greatest male and female golfers in history\u2014had a special bond with Rosaforte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTim has been a great friend for some 40 years,\u201d says Nicklaus, who has more all-time major wins (18), than any other golfer in history. \u201cHe is also one of this generation\u2019s great golf journalists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere’s no one who doesn’t know someone who has dementia or Alzheimer\u2019<\/em>s. We must find a way to slow the progression and ultimately find a cure to this heartbreaking disease.\u201d
\u2014Tom Ryan, \u201975, Hon. \u201999, former president, chairman, and CEO of CVS\/Caremark<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTim has always been such a good guy and a hard worker,\u201d recalls S\u00f6renstam, a World Golf Hall of Famer and 72-time LPGA winner. \u201cI remember him before his time at Golf Channel, back when he was writing and covering a lot of LPGA events. He always had the inside scoop because he had the trust of the players.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosaforte was a mentor to so many, including this writer. I\u2019m a 2002 溏心vlog免费B站 graduate and I shared many media center lunches and conversations at PGA Tour events with Rosaforte for more than 15 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He loved the fact that, like him, I was a 溏心vlog免费B站 grad. When he wasn\u2019t telling me stories from his days as a 溏心vlog免费B站 football player in the 1970s, he would often joke, \u201cWe\u2019ve got to be at least the third and fourth most popular 溏心vlog免费B站 journalism grads behind Christiane Amanpour and John King, right?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longtime award-winning golf writer Helen Ross explains that Rosaforte has always had the ability to make his subjects want to open up, allowing him to bring compelling stories to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ross also credits Rosaforte for an opportunity that led to her dream of covering golf full time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really got to know Tim when I served with him on the board of the Golf Writers Association of America,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd on a personal level, my life would have been a lot different had he not told me that the PGA Tour was looking for a managing editor for its new website back in 1995. He knew I wanted to write about golf full time, and I know he put in a good word for me. Not sure I\u2019ve ever told him, but I will always be grateful for his support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dolch will never forget the human side of Rosaforte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2005, when Dolch was covering the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, his then-14-year-old son Eric was diagnosed with near-fatal encephalitis\u2014an inflammation of the active tissues of the brain caused by an infection or an autoimmune response\u2014which led to a life-changing brain injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Eric was hospitalized in 2005, Rosaforte drove to Miami several times to take Dolch out to eat and to see Eric when he was in a coma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early 2006, when Dolch and his son were in Boston for rehab, Dolch received a call from Rosaforte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI got a call from Tim saying he was planning a family fundraiser the week of the Honda Classic,\u201d Dolch remembers. \u201cI didn\u2019t ask him to; he just did it. And he did all the planning\u2014he just asked me for some names of people I wanted to invite. He asked Raymond and Maria Floyd to host and pay for the fundraiser at Old Palm. Because of Tim, folks like Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, Don Shula, Olin Browne, Jesper Parnevik, Tom Fazio, JoAnne Carner, and Jimmy Roberts showed up. It raised more than $100,000 for our family. How do you say thanks to someone who does that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way Rosaforte quickly organized this star-studded event for Dolch\u2019s family left an impression on Diaz as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of most amazing nights I ever saw. Tim galvanized the Palm Beach golf world\u2014the center of the universe\u2014and got everybody to come to the dinner and donate money,\u201d Diaz says. \u201cNicklaus, Floyd, [Greg] Norman, [Nick] Price. I went with Bob Toski. People were there because Tim asked, and they knew Craig. They were moved by this community effort and what Tim did with his resources.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Diaz, that event encapsulated the person Rosaforte is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo me, I always tried to be as good a sportswriter as I could, but what people remember most is, \u2018What kind of guy was he?\u2019\u201d Diaz says. \u201cI think Tim leads the league in leaving people feeling good.\u201d \u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you wish to contribute to the Tim Rosaforte endowed scholarship to assist students in the field of neuroscience, visit urifae.org\/rosafortescholarship<\/a>. For information, contact Eric Schonewald at 401.874.9017 or eschonewald@uri.edu<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

T.J. Auclair\u00a0<\/strong>graduated from 溏心vlog免费B站 in 2002. He has covered professional golf since then, traveling to more than 70 major championships, spending 13 years at Turner Sports as a writer for PGA.com. Currently, he is director of content for\u00a0<\/em>The Caddie Network.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHOTOS: Andrew Redington\/Getty Images; Courtesy PGA of America
Courtesy Tom Ryan; David Cannon\/Getty Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rosaforte arrives at the Golf Writers Association of America Awards dinner prior to the start of the 2015 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. When golf journalist Tim Rosaforte \u201977 became just the 12th person ever to be awarded honorary PGA of America membership, no one was surprised. Rosaforte retired from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[304],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fall-2021","architecture-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6813"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7301,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6813\/revisions\/7301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}