For
those that don't know, Payne Stewart was one of the most liked
players on the PGA Tour that tragically died when a Learjet he was
flying on lost cabin pressure. As a result an award was created in
Stewart's honor.
According to our good friend Wikipedia, the Payne
Stewart Award is given
annually to a golfer that "shows respect for the traditions of the
game, commitment to uphold the
game's heritage of charitable support and professional and meticulous
presentation of himself and the sport through his dress and conduct."
(Source)
The initial award winners were Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, and
Arnold Palmer in 2000. Since then there has been one winner each year
with a ton of quality golfers winning. Steve Stricker
is the next in a long line of quality individuals that have won the
award.
As I've said many times in the past, I absolutely love the
Midwestern Cougar of the PGA Tour aka Steve Stricker. I've chronicled Stricker's good play on the golf course many times in this space. Honestly my only complaint with Stricker is that he was
born in Wisconsin but roots for the Chicago Bears instead of the Green Bay Packers. Just to show how much I like
Stricker, despite being a Bears fans, Stricker is still hands down my
favorite golfer of all-time.
Stricker wears his emotions on his sleeve so I presume that he teared up
when he actually received the award or attempted to give a speech.
Stricker
gets $100,000 for winning the award, which he is going to use to start a
foundation in his name. I can't wait to hear more plans for the
foundation because I will be writing a check, probably a very small one,
but a check nonetheless to Stricker's foundation.
Congratulations to Steve Stricker on being named the 2012 Payne Stewart Award winner.
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