Here’s why PGA Tour pros and media members are wearing purple ribbons this week in Hawaii
Graeme McDowell, wearing a purple ribbon, looks on during the first round of the Sony Open.
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One of the game’s most admired journalists and original insiders will be honored at the Sony Open this week, as PGA Tour players, caddies, officials and media members are wearing purple ribbons to pay tribute to the late Tim Rosaforte, who died on Tuesday due to complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 66.
Rosaforte covered more than 125 majors in his career. He was a senior writer at Golf Digest for over two decades and became one of golf’s first insiders with Golf Channel. The former Golf Writers Association of America president was also the recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism in 2014.
Yet the way in which players, caddies, media members and others are honoring him this week says more about the person he was than the accolades he received. After news broke of Rosaforte’s passing, heartfelt reactions flooded in from Tour pros.
“Tim was one of the best at what he did,” tweeted Phil Mickelson. “He lifted those up around him and shared insight into the game of golf from an interesting and positive point of view. He will be remembered by so many he came in contact with and we are all better for having known him. RIP Tim.”
“Tremendously sad to hear of Tim Rosaforte passing,” said David Duval. “Abundantly kind and fair to all he came across. Blessed to have known him my entire career. More blessed to call him my friend. We all just lost a beautiful person.”
Last year, the University of Rhode Island, Rosaforte’s alma mater, created a scholarship in his name, the Tim Rosaforte Scholarship for Interdisciplinary Neuroscience. Its goal is to educate future scholars whose work will help ease the suffering of patients and families. You can contribute to it here.
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