For golf writer Steve DiMeglio, beats are more than just a job

Steve DiMeglio, longtime golf writer USA Today And, latergolfweekis a reporter who can walk out of the press tent and be on the practice green with Tiger Woods and get something he can use, and a lot of stuff he’ll never use, and be able to do it again a week later make it happen.

“DeMegues,” as Woods and many others called him, died earlier this week at age 63 in his Ponte Vedra Beach apartment after a battle with colon cancer. He lived alone, never married, had no children, and was preceded in death by his parents. Beats are his life. Players, caddies, officials and other writers were like family to him.

“Unfortunately, the golf world lost a part of our family today,” Woods said in a message on X. family. The PGA Tour is not a home. But in this case, Woods used the perfect word. Several tour media officials who live near DiMeglio regularly check on his health throughout his 30 months. They became worried when they couldn’t reach him on New Year’s Day.

DiMelio is an 8-handicap golfer who loves the game and has a deep connection to the game, and he can hit almost any course he wants. His preferred mode of transportation on any course is a speed cart equipped with a beer cooler. Golf courses that don’t allow smoking are a nightmare for him.

DiMeglio is loyal to Delta Air Lines, Marriott Hotels, Bud Light, Marlboro Gold and the Mellow Mushroom pizza chain. He would rent a car from anyone. He likes to travel with his own clubs, but he also rents them when necessary. He was wearing the same jersey with the club’s logo that he wore when he last played football. He wears shorts and basketball shoes to work but comes clean for the annual Golf Writers Association of America dinner in suburban Augusta. He served on the GWAA Board of Directors for many years.

If you were taller than 5 feet 8 inches, DiMeglio would call you “The Boss.” He was about 5 feet 5 inches tall and had a neatly trimmed goatee and distinctive hair that he slicked back without any modification. He was born and raised in Minnesota.

Part of DiMeglio’s unique status as a beloved and respected golf journalist comes from working for a newspaper that most pros read when they open their hotel room door or walk into the lobby. Before the rise of the Internet, USA Today It’s the bible of the PGA Tour. new york times or wall street journal or any other paper. Arnold Palmer read USA Today. Tim Finchem read it. Tiger Woods read it.

DiMelio brought out the best in Woods. He rarely writes about the struggles in Woods’ private life. He believes athletes should be able to live private lives. But two close friends, Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press and Bob Harig of the Associated Press sports illustrated, No one documented his surgical procedures more accurately than Woods. The surgeries impacted Woods’ public life.

DiMeglio writes with incredible simplicity, speed, and accuracy, but also with insight and a feel for golf history. He can be funny and also very direct. He would sometimes ask people, “What are your vices?” He knew vices were an important part of the human condition. The only time he really judges others is when reporters ask boring, rally-killing, head-scratching questions at press conferences while they drop in to play golf.

Before the rise of Google, DiMelio could name every LPGA commissioner, including Bill Blue, who served only two years. DiMeglio knows the ins and outs of the women’s tour as well as he does the men’s tour. He counts Dottie Pepper, Paula Creamer and Lexi Thompson as friends and sources. Navigating these relationships can be tricky for journalists. For DiMeglio, it’s second nature.

He would be extremely proud when talking about his late father, a college professor. He was an avid reader of newspapers and magazines and seemed to remember everything he read, yet in his own way he was completely humble and thoughtful. When he smokes in front of you, he holds the cigarette in his hand and blows the smoke away from you.

DiMeglio got into golf after years of covering Major League Baseball, and no matter what the conversation was about: baseball, golf, national politics, classic rock music, newspapers and managing the auto plants of the Big Three automakers Class fights union efforts, then returns to golf. Politically, he was an avowed liberal. He takes a conservative stance on most changes in golf. His attitude toward LIV Golf is almost comically dismissive. Well, he does live a few miles from the PGA Tour offices. You almost never see him speak on TV. He believed that writers should be read rather than seen.

When editors gave him space, DiMeglio wrote rich, detailed articles, sometimes touching on unexpected subjects, such as Jack Nicklaus’s sixth-place finish at the 1998 Masters at age 58.

At Woods’ pre-tournament press conference at the 2019 Masters, DiMeglio asked Woods what everyone wanted to know.

DiMeglio: “A few quick ones. First, what’s the logo on your shirt?

Woods: “Frank.”

DiMelio: “What?”

Woods: “Frank, my balaclava.”

DiMeglio continued: “Can you tell us what you think about the changes to No. 5 and how you’re going to play the hole differently?”

Woods: “Five, it’s just too long. The bunkers, they’re still deep. I don’t think they’re going to be able to hit the ball on the green. You have to be really lucky and be in a situation where you might be able to get to the front edge of the green. You need to stay away Those bunkers. But it’s really long.

“Green, I know it’s softened. The new pin in the upper left corner was something they created a few years ago to give them the opportunity to put the pin there. But now they’re definitely going to have a pin in there.

“It’ll be interesting to see how they handle the course setup on that hole. It rains all the time here. It’s soft. The fairways won’t give up on it. If that’s the case, I don’t know if we’re going to play fifth every day at 495 yards. field. I’m sure the tee will be moved up, very similar to what we saw on the seven tee and sometimes on the one tee and other times if it’s warmer. Put the desk back.

“The way they make these tees is very flexible because they’re so long. You can move around the golf course and if they want to play on the short side you can play 7,400 yards, if they want to play on the long side you can play 7,400 yards 7,500 yards north.

“It will be interesting to see how they set up but I’m sure they will do an incredible job as usual and present us with an extremely tough test but also very fair.”

Did you see the length of that answer, the effort Woods put in, the detail he provided? In a sense, all of this is a function of the quality of the question and reflects how Woods feels about the reporter who asked it.

Michael Bamberger welcomes you by emailing Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com