logo
The Zing And The Zeal Of Paul Azinger, 2025 Payne Stewart Award Winner

The Zing And The Zeal Of Paul Azinger, 2025 Payne Stewart Award Winner

Forbes6 days ago
Paul Azinger recieves the Payne Stewart Award
Paul Azinger, the 12-time PGA Tour winner, Ryder Cup hero and longtime broadcaster, has been named the 2025 Payne Stewart Award recipient. Presented annually by Southern Company, the honor recognizes a player whose career reflects Stewart's legacy of character, sportsmanship, and generosity of spirit.
The PGA Tour has a track record of big award ambush surprises and conspired with Paul's manager and the producers of The Drop on Golf Channel, a weekly primetime show, to contrive an interview ruse to deliver the news under the guise of a routine segment.
'So, I was doing this fake interview, and Matt Every asked if there was anyone from my era I never got to analyze that I would have liked to talk about as a broadcaster,' Azinger explained.
As he took the bait and began to wax nostalgic about Payne Stewart—the Tam O'Shanter-wearing, three-time major winner whose bronze statue is a must-selfie spot for every golfer who plays Pinehurst No. 2—he turned around and was stunned to see Tracey Stewart standing there holding the trophy.
'I don't like surprises—I don't know anyone who does. They caught me on camera, and I don't know how it'll turn out to be honest, but it was emotional. It took getting out of that room for me to really feel the emotion of it. I'm really honored, big-time.'
'I'm not sure why they don't just tell you. I think they've fallen in love with the idea of totally shocking you to death. It was just a colossal surprise,' he added.
The award is especially meaningful to Azinger as he was more than a contemporary of Payne's, he was also a dear friend. He delivered the eulogy at Stewart's funeral after the golf legend's untimely passing.
When Paul and Payne first met up at tour event in the early 1980s, after making introductions Azinger found his gaze fixed on one of Stewart's lobes at what he thought was a quirky earring tat turned out to be an acupuncture needle.
'It helps me concentrate' Stewart, who went on to win the tournament, told him. It didn't take long for Azinger to realize that his new tour buddy was certainly out preparing him.
'All I could think about was 'man this guy, he thinks on another level than me.' I never thought about going to different lengths or depths into concentration, visualization, and all that relaxation stuff until that moment. I already got better just shaking his hand and asking about that acupuncture in his ear.'
'Standing out is part of his legacy—not blending in,' Azinger said of his fashion plate friend. 'He didn't want to dress like everybody else, and we all saw him change it up.' Rocking colorful throwback threads, Stewart was never just another guy on the range.
He made sure to play as many practice rounds with Payne as possible, shadowing his rhythms and routines in hopes that some of Payne's magic might rub off. Just as compelling, though, was the simple fact that they always had a blast together.
'He was fun to play with, whether you were trying to beat him or not,' Azinger explained. They won what is now known as the Arnold Palmer Invitational (back then it was called the Hertz Bay Hill Classic) in back-to-back years and then in the ensuing years had a buddy battle going as to who would be the first to win Jack Nicklaus' tournament. Stewart started the Sunday of the 1993 Memorial Tournament three strokes ahead of Azinger but by the tourney's 72nd hole that lead had been whittled down to striking distance.
'We both wanted to win Jack's tournament before the other guy and I ended up holing out of the bunker to get him and he had me beat all day. It was the most emotional thing,' Azinger recalled.
On the philanthropic front, Azinger was in awe that Stewart had decided to donate his winnings from the 1987 Bay Hill Classic to charity, gifting the entire $108,000 to a Florida hospital in memory of his late father.
'That was a lot of money, and I just thought, this guy is so charitable.' Later, Azinger would learn the extent of Stewart's impact. 'After Payne passed away, Michael Jackson looked at buying his house in Orlando. When they told him whose it was, he said, 'Oh yeah, the guy in the knickers!' Even Michael Jackson knew Payne. I don't think we realized how big Payne was until he was gone.'
Paul Azinger putts with a pitching wedge after breaking his putter in frustration during his opening ... More round in the 1996 British Open Golf Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes club. (Photo by Fiona Hanson - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
Putter Breaking To Legacy Building
Azinger famously snapped his Ping Anser in two during the 1996 Open Championship—an endlessly replayed clip on linear television in the era before social media. He couldn't help but wonder how that lowlight squares with years later receiving an award that celebrates character.
'Everybody saw it. How can I get this character award?' he said, perhaps workshopping a zinger he might weave into his acceptance speech. 'We're all human, right?'
But his arc from fiery competitor to Ryder Cup ringleader to philosophical elder statesman speaks volumes. 'You get to a point where you can make a living, and then you want to make history,' Azinger said. 'But I don't think you realize that maybe you're making a legacy at the same time. I never even said the words 'my career' during my career until I heard someone else say it who'd been at it 20-some years. I thought, 'Wow—I guess I've had a career.' You've made a career out of golf, and that takes getting older to even say the word. And then suddenly it's a legacy. To get rewarded for it—it's just humbling to me.'
A dedicated advocate for children and families, Azinger and his wife Toni, opened the 12,000‑square‑foot Azinger Family Compassion Center in 2021 on One More Child and Guardian Angels of Southwest Florida's campus in Palmetto.
The facility serves as a donation and distribution hub, providing a hand up to foster children, hungry children, single mothers, trafficking survivors, and struggling families. They partner with local charities to distribute essential items like clothes, food, diapers, and household goods across the community. In the past 12 months alone, the center has distributed nearly $19 million worth of supplies and supported more than 190 area nonprofits.
'You don't realize that there is that much to be given away and there is that much to be needed,' Azinger said. 'This has proved it. Everything in our building—you come back two weeks later, it's all different stuff. All the stuff you saw two weeks ago is gone and there is new stuff.'
Azinger, whose wife Toni co-founded the Florida Human Trafficking Victims Fund—also hosts the annual Teeing Off to Stop Human Trafficking golf tournament in November, benefiting both the fund and One More Child.
'Our goal is to rescue kids,' Azinger said. 'We have a heart for One More Child—if it's just one, it matters. Human trafficking is such a big issue now,' Azinger said, acknowledging the enormity of the issue. 'We're just trying to be in service to those kids.'
1993: Portrait of Paul Azinger of the USA with the trophy after winning the PGA Championship at the ... More Inverness Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: David Cannon/Allsport
Prime Time Zinger
Before he became an acclaimed Ryder Cup strategist—trailblazing the 2008 pod system that snapped a nine year drought for Team USA—Azinger authored one of the PGA Championship's most thrilling finishes.'
On the Sunday of the 1993 PGA Championship at the Inverness Club, Azinger caught fire on the back nine, birdieing four of the final seven holes to draw even with Greg Norman and force a sudden-death playoff. With the pressure of the Wanamaker Trophy hanging on them, both players flubbed birdie attempts on the first extra hole.
On the second, Norman left his birdie putt four feet and change shy of the hole while Azinger lipped out on his, a touch too aggressive with his stroke but still in dandy shape as he was left with a tap in for par. With the burden to perform in the clutch back on the Aussie, Norman buckled, failing to correctly judge the right to left break of his downhill putt causing his sphere to spin off the left edge of the cup.
Azinger's breakthrough meant shedding the 'best player never to win a major' tag while deepening Norman's rep for being perennially snake bitten in majors. While he'd win the Open twice including that season, the Great White Shark would end up racking up eight runner-up finishes in golf's biggest events.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Cameron escapes bases-loaded jam in first, Garcia homers to lead Royals to 4-1 win over Guardians
Cameron escapes bases-loaded jam in first, Garcia homers to lead Royals to 4-1 win over Guardians

Associated Press

timea few seconds ago

  • Associated Press

Cameron escapes bases-loaded jam in first, Garcia homers to lead Royals to 4-1 win over Guardians

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Noah Cameron escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first before tossing five innings of three-hit ball, Maikel Garcia homered for the second time in three games, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-1 on Sunday. Garcia finished with two RBIs, and Vinnie Pasquantino and Luke Maile also drove in runs, while the Kansas City bullpen allowed only Gabriel Arias' homer amid four hits over the final four innings. Carlos Estévez worked around a leadoff double in the ninth for his 27th save. Cameron (5-4) was stingy after the first, when Steven Kwan, Angel Martínez and José Ramírez began the game by loading the bases with nobody out. Cameron rebounded to retire David Fry, Carlos Santana and Arias, then allowed only two baserunners in the next four innings. He also struck out six in another dominant performance. The 26-year-old left-hander from nearby St. Joseph, Missouri, lowered his ERA to 2.44 and has not lost a game since June 27. Joey Cantillo (2-1) lasted only four innings for Cleveland on a hot, humid day in Kansas City. He allowed three runs and three hits and four walks while striking out four in his fifth start since joining the Guardians' rotation. Cantillo had twice faced Kansas City in relief this season, retiring all six he faced and striking out four of them. Key moment The fruitless first proved to be pivotal for Cleveland, when Fry flied out to right, Santana struck out and Arias grounded out to end the inning. Kansas City proceeded to coax across two runs in the bottom half and never trailed. Key stat The Royals won despite going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. Up next The Guardians return home to face Colorado on Monday night with RHP Slade Cecconi (5-4, 3.76 ERA) starting the opener. The Royals welcome the Braves on Monday night with LHP Rich Hill (0-1, 1.80) on the mound first for the three-game series. ___ AP MLB:

Browns QB Kenny Pickett injures hamstring at practice: Report
Browns QB Kenny Pickett injures hamstring at practice: Report

New York Times

timea few seconds ago

  • New York Times

Browns QB Kenny Pickett injures hamstring at practice: Report

Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett will miss at least a few days of training camp this week, ESPN reported Sunday, after Pickett suffered a hamstring injury late in Saturday's practice. That practice ended with Pickett throwing two touchdown passes while on the move in the final period of practice, so it remains unclear if he suffered the injury on one of those throws or if it had occurred earlier and Pickett continued to play through it. Advertisement The Browns opened full camp on July 23. Sunday was the players' first day off, and it was the day that coach Kevin Stefanski and his staff had long planned to use to evaluate the first portion of camp and divvy up the quarterback reps for the days ahead. Pickett and 40-year-old Joe Flacco had essentially shared reps since the spring in a four-man quarterback competition that also includes rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Through four days, Pickett had taken the most 11-on-11 reps and generally had started practice first in the individual drill lines. Cleveland acquired Pickett last March in a trade with the Eagles, who had Pickett as their primary backup on last season's Super Bowl championship team. The Browns acquired Flacco two weeks before the draft. With no clear timetable for a return to work for Pickett, it's difficult to project how his injury immediately affects the Browns' quarterback rotations. It obviously will mean more reps for Gabriel and Sanders in the coming days, but with an uncertain timetable, it's hard to say if Flacco will take all of the reps with the No. 1 offense. On two of the four completed camp days, the Browns had held Flacco out of 11-on-11 competitive work due to Flacco's edge in experience and prior work with the Browns late in 2023. The Browns return to practice Monday afternoon. Stefanski will address reporters about 30 minutes before the team's first practice in full pads. (Top photo of Kenny Pickett at practice last week: by Jason Miller / Getty Images)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store