Mario Tiziani

Tiziani was born in Ironwood, Michigan. Playing golf for the Wisconsin Badgers, he was the Big Ten Conference freshman of the year. He is the brother-in-law of pro golfer Steve Stricker and the son of Dennis Tiziani. After he turned pro in 1993, he spent 12 years playing mini-tour events. Though he was the Big Ten's freshman of the year in 1989 at Wisconsin, where his dad coached the team, Tiziani flunked the Tour's Q school 11 times. In 2004, he decided to try again at PGA Tour Q-School, and after 11 tries, the 12th was golf. He finished T-21st to get his card for 2005 by a shot. But Tiziani's year on the PGA Tour wasn't good; in 23 PGA Tour starts, he made only 11 cuts, and his best finish was T-12 at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. He earned $181,618, and that was 200th on the money list. He played on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2006 and '07 and, in 50 events, had three top-tens, the best being a 5th at the 2006 Albertsons Boise Open. But he didn't play well enough to hold his playing privileges. He tried Q-school a couple more times.

He stepped away and was a sports agent at MPC Sports and, in recent years, a caddie for his brother-in-law Steve. When he got close to his 50th birthday, he started getting ready for a possible run on the PGA Tour Champions Tour. However, with COVID, July of 2020 wasn't a good time to try to play senior golf. He had to wait a year to get his first PGA Tour Champions start at the American Family Insurance in Wisconsin. A couple of weeks before, he won the 2021 Minnesota Senior Open. At the American Family, he was T-71st. Three months later, he got a sponsor invite to Sanford International and was T-5th going into the final round after shooting 65-67, but a final round 71 dropped him into a T-11th. After that, it was back to the Q-Tournament, and his T-10th didn't get him a card for 2022.

2022 Notes: He played in 12 PGA Tour Champions events with one top-ten finish. He was 63rd in the Schwab rankings and 62nd on the money list, earning $245,937. He got a sponsor exemption into the Cologuard and finished T-54th. He Monday qualified for the Rapiscan Systems Classic and finished T-34th. After that was T-7th at the Pure Insurance Championship, three shots back of the winner Steve Flesch. Returned to the Q-Tournament and finished T-14th.

2023 Notes: He played in 20 PGA Tour Champions events, with two top-ten finishes. He was 46th in the Schwab Rankings and 46th on the money list, earning $473,582. Finished T-5th at The Galleri Classic, six shots back of winner David Toms for his first career top-5 on PGA Tour Champions. Posted scores of 69-70-67. Closed with a bogey-free 65 for the low final-round score on his way to a T-3rd finish at the SAS Championship. He had his first top-3 finish on PGA Tour Champions in his 32nd start. He returned to Q-School and finished T-18th.

2024 Notes: Played in 26 PGA Tour Champions events with one top-ten finish. Was 52nd on the Schwab money list with earnings of $470,633. Best finish 5th at Rogers Charity Classic. At the end of the year, returned to PGA Tour Champions Q-School and in the final stage finished T-14th, getting limited status for 2025.

2025 Notes: Played in 20 PGA Tour Champions events with one top-ten finish. Was 52nd on the Schwab money list with earnings of $392,792. Best finish, T-2nd with partner Steve Stricker at the American Family Insurance Championship. Best individual finish, T-12th at Chubb Classic.

2026 Notes: Best finish, T-41st at the Cologuard Classic.