Mattiace turned pro in 1990. 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.
Personal life
Mattiace is naturally left-handed but plays right-handed.[2]