The sports agent will be especially busy this week after qualifying for the Schwab Cup playoffs. But before you get your hopes up that you’ll be running on the senior tour when you turn 50, we regret to inform you that this is not your typical sports agent.
Mario Tiziani is the son-in-law of PGA Tour Champions star Steve Striker. He is also a former tour pro. Tiziani played one full season on the PGA Tour in 2005, making 11 cuts in 23 starts before losing his card. He completely retired from professional golf in 2010 and even regained his amateur status.
But after receiving a sponsor exemption from the 2021 American Family Insurance Championship – which Stricker happens to host – Tiziani has been pulling double duty at both jobs. Well, triple duty if you count the fact that he also worked as a part-time caddy for Striker. In a video for PGA Tour Champions, Tiziani describes his busy work week, which includes some very early wake-up calls:
Tiziani is a partner in MGC Sports, which represents several tour pros, including Stricker. As Tiziani notes in the video, the company also represents Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. “Trevor Lawrence is our horse in football.” Yeah, that’s a pretty big horse.
Since turning 50, Tiziani has already won both the Wisconsin and Minnesota Senior Opens. He qualified for the Schwab Cup playoffs by finishing 61st on the points list (the top 72 entered the PGA Tour Champions postseason, which begins Friday at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic), though he played in only 11 events with exemptions or Monday qualifiers.
His best finish was a T-7 at Pebble Beach at last month’s Pure Insurance Championship. Tiziani will have to move into the top 54 of the season ranking this week to advance to the next tournament, but he’s already earned $225,000 in 2022. Not a bad side gig, huh?
“I did well in 11 events to make the playoffs,” Tiziani recently told AP’s Doug Ferguson. “He’s not as good as my brother-in-law in 11 events, but he’s from another planet.”
