Len Mattiace
FullnameLeonard Earl Mattiace
Birth dateOctober 15, 1967 (age 59)
Birth placeMineola, New York, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
ResidenceJacksonville, Florida, U.S.
CollegeWake Forest University
Yearpro1990
TourPGA Tour Champions
ExtourPGA Tour
Web.com Tour
Prowins2
Pgawins2
Masters2nd: 2003
UsopenT24: 1997
OpenT30: 1999
PgaT48: 2002

Leonard Earl Mattiace (/m@ti:s/; born October 15, 1967) is an American professional golfer, formerly of the PGA Tour and now playing on the PGA Tour Champions.

Early life and amateur career

Mattiace was born in Mineola, New York. He attended Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Florida.

Mattiace graduated from Wake Forest University in 1990 with a degree in sociology. While at Wake Forest, he played on the team that won the NCAA Division I Golf Championship in 1986.

Professional career

In 1990, Mattiace turned pro. He first gained notability when he surged into contention in the final round of the 1998 Players Championship. Trailing by one shot going into the par-3 17th hole, he hit his tee shot into the water, his third shot into a bunker, and his fourth shot into the water. He ended up with a quintuple-bogey 8 on the hole and finished in a tie for fifth, four strokes behind the eventual winner Justin Leonard.

Mattiace's career year was 2002, when he earned wins at the Nissan Open (his 220th PGA Tour start) and the FedEx St. Jude Classic. In 2003, he contended in the Masters Tournament by shooting a 65 in the final round which put him into a playoff with Mike Weir. On the first playoff hole, Mattiace found himself stymied by trees when his approach drifted offline. Weir needed only a bogey to secure the victory and Mattiace finished second, earning $648,000 in prize money. Shortly after the 2003 season, Mattiace's career was threatened by a skiing accident and torn ACLs in both knees.

Mattiace was not fully exempt on the PGA Tour after the 2005 season. He made his PGA Tour Champions debut in March 2018 at the Cologuard Classic.

Mattiace is naturally left-handed but plays right-handed.[1]

Amateur wins

this list may be incomplete

  • 1984 FL State High School Champion
  • 1984 Dixie Amateur
  • 1985 Southern Amateur
  • 1989 Dixie Amateur

Professional wins (2)

PGA Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1Feb 17, 2002Nissan Open−15 (69-65-67-68=269)1 strokeBrad Faxon, Rory Sabbatini,
Scott McCarron
2Jun 30, 2002FedEx St. Jude Classic−18 (69-68-65-64=266)1 strokeTim Petrovic

PGA Tour playoff record (0–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
11996Buick ChallengeMichael Bradley, Fred Funk,
Davis Love III, John Maginnes		Bradley won with birdie on first extra hole
22003Masters TournamentMike WeirLost to bogey on first extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament19881989
Masters TournamentCUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
Tournament1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
Masters Tournament
U.S. OpenT24T42
The Open ChampionshipT30
PGA ChampionshipCUTCUT
Tournament200020012002200320042005
Masters Tournament2CUT
U.S. OpenT68T57CUT
The Open ChampionshipT69T65
PGA ChampionshipCUTT48T51

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament01011131
U.S. Open00000154
The Open Championship00000033
PGA Championship00000052
Totals0101121610
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2002 U.S. Open – 2003 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament199719981999200020012002200320042005
The Players ChampionshipT24T5CUTT9CUTT69CUTT33T71

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament20022003
Match PlayR64
ChampionshipT46T54
InvitationalT36T30

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

See also

References

  1. ^ "Len Mattiace". The Times. 11 October 2003. Retrieved 23 September 2024.