Leonard Earl Mattiace (; 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.
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 ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Feb 17, 2002Nissan Open−15 (69-65-67-68=269)1 stroke Brad Faxon, Rory Sabbatini, Scott McCarron2Jun 30, 2002FedEx St. Jude Classic−18 (69-68-65-64=266)1 stroke Tim Petrovic
PGA Tour playoff record (0–2) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result11996Buick Challenge Michael Bradley, Fred Funk, Davis Love III, John MaginnesBradley won with birdie on first extra hole22003Masters Tournament Mike WeirLost to bogey on first extra hole
Results in major championships Tournament19881989Masters TournamentCUTU.S. OpenThe Open ChampionshipPGA Championship Tournament1990199119921993199419951996199719981999Masters TournamentU.S. OpenT24T42The Open ChampionshipT30PGA ChampionshipCUTCUT Tournament200020012002200320042005Masters Tournament2CUTU.S. OpenT68T57CUTThe Open ChampionshipT69T65PGA ChampionshipCUTT48T51
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" = tied
Summary Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts madeMasters Tournament 0 1 0 1 1 1 3 1U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 4The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 2Totals 0 1 0 1 1 2 16 10 Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2002 U.S. Open – 2003 PGA) Longest streak of top-10s – 1
Results in The Players Championship Tournament199719981999200020012002200320042005The Players ChampionshipT24T5CUTT9CUTT69CUTT33T71
CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in World Golf Championships Tournament20022003Match PlayR64ChampionshipT46T54InvitationalT36T30
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play "T" = Tied
U.S. national team appearances Amateur Walker Cup: 1987 (winners)
See also 1992 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates 1995 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
References
External links
Len's Friends Foundation official site