NBC/Golf Channel's Mark Rolfing '71 is Back to Work After Fighting Rare Cancer

January 5, 2016

Mark Rolfing is "one of the best at the tricky task of providing on-course commentary," notes Golf Digest. The 1971 graduate of DePauw University "has been battling a rare form of cancer that had taken him away from his NBC/Golf Channel duties last August." But on Thursday, five months after he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Rolfing will be back behind the microphone for the Golf Channel's coverage of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

Geoff Shackelford writes, "Rolfing will gladly talk about his cancer battle and what he hopes to confirm with doctor Tom Buchholz in two weeks as a successful fight, but mostly he’s euphoric over this week’s Kapalua field (“best in at least ten years”), the prospects for 2016 (“an epic year in golf”) and an NBC tournament lineup that will take him to the usual stops (plus Royal Troon, Rio and Hazeltine for the Ryder Cup)."

The story notes, "Buchholz will run Rolfing through a few tests in two weeks and hopes to declare the NBC/Golf Channel contributor since 1997 free of the rare cancer. For now Rolfing will take it slow, working in the booth for the Hyundai and Sony Open before heading back to Houston to hopefully get the 'all clear' update. In hindsight, the former conference champion golfer at DePauw University says that while his form of cancer is unlike breast or head cancers where detection tends to happen faster, he wants us all to be more cognizant of our bodies."

Rolfing says, "When I look back on it now I was having hearing trouble in left ear and there were other signs. Just be as aware of your bodies as possible."

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Mark Rolfing was a political science major at DePauw, where he was a standout on coach Ted Katula's golf team, and earned a master's degree from Northern Illinois University. He has more than 25 years of experience as a golf analyst, commentator and host for networks such as NBC, ABC and ESPN.

Last January, Rolfing and his college teammate Dan Quayle '69, the 44th Vice President of the United States, appeared together on the Golf Channel.

Both Quayle and Rolfing are members of DePauw's Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2005, the two men and Jack Nicklaus appeared in a video that was played at a tribute dinner for Coach Katula. It is embedded below.