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Newsweek
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Major Champion Receives 'Humbling' Award Named After Legendary Late Friend
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Major champion and current golf commentator Paul Azinger was honored by the PGA Tour with one of its most special awards, the Payne Stewart Award. It was a particularly meaningful moment for Azinger, as Stewart was one of his closest friends until his death in 1999. The Payne Stewart Award is given to recognize the honoree's character, sportsmanship, and commitment to charitable giving. It has been presented annually since 2000, and past recipients include Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Sir Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, and Justin Rose. "To be named the recipient of this award, representing my dearest friend, is one of the proudest moments in my life," said Azinger, according to the PGA Tour's official website. "Payne displayed the ultimate character, sportsmanship and service to others throughout his career. He set the standard for how to represent the game of golf, so to be recognized for this award is truly humbling." 'It's probably one of the proudest moments of my life.' In a special surprise, @PaulAzinger and his wife Toni learn that he's been named the 2025 Payne Stewart Award recipient presented by @SouthernCompany. — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 21, 2025 In officially presenting the award, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan highlighted Azinger's extraordinary qualities. "We are pleased to add Paul Azinger's name to the long and illustrious list of those who have received the Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company," Monahan said, according to the PGA Tour's official website. "If there is one person who knows all the positive traits that exemplified Payne Stewart, it's his close friend, Paul. His values align with the character and charitable pursuits that Payne displayed throughout his career, and it's only fitting that Paul be honored with this year's award." Azinger has done extraordinary charitable work throughout his career, primarily through the Paul and Toni Azinger Charitable Fund, which manages the Azinger Family Compassion Center. The center serves disadvantaged families in Manatee County, Florida. 1993: Portrait of Paul Azinger of the USA with the trophy after winning the USPGA tournament at the Inverness Golf Club in Ohio, USA. 1993: Portrait of Paul Azinger of the USA with the trophy after winning the USPGA tournament at the Inverness Golf Club in Ohio, Azinger and Payne Stewart in Professional Golf Azinger won 12 PGA Tour tournaments during his professional golf career, including the 1993 PGA Championship. In 1995, he began combining broadcasting work, a career he pursued after his playing days ended. Currently, Azinger covers the PGA Tour Champions for Golf Channel. Stewart was one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour in the 1980s and 1990s. His unique outfits and extraordinary results made him a true fan favorite. Stewart won 11 PGA Tour tournaments, including three major championships (the 1989 PGA Championship and the 1991 and 1999 US Open). He also represented the United States in five Ryder Cups, with three wins and one tie. He died in a plane crash in October 1999. More Golf: The Open: Scottie Scheffler Sets Multiple Records With Fourth Major Title
Qatar Tribune
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Scheffler calls Woods comparisons ‘silly' after his British Open triumph
PA Media/DPA Portrush (Northern Ireland) Newly-crowned Open champion Scottie Scheffler insists it is 'silly' to compare him to Tiger Woods. The 28-year-old won his second major of the year after May's US PGA, his fourth in total, and he is three-quarters of the way towards a career Grand Slam - which he can complete at next year's US Open in the same four-year time-frame as Jack Nicklaus. Only 15-time major winner Woods has done it quicker, in three years. The numbers continue to stack up for the world number one, whose 17-under total gave him a four-stroke victory at Royal Portrush but belied how comfortable his win was. On Saturday evening Rory McIlroy, a five-time major winner who himself completed the Grand Slam at the Masters in April, said Scheffler was 'inevitable' and his play is giving off a Woods-type aura. He is 111 under par in majors since the beginning of 2020, 46 shots better than anyone else, and is four from four when it comes to converting 54-hole major leads (Woods won his first 14) and has been world number one for 112 consecutive weeks. 'I still think they're a bit silly,' Scheffler said of the Woods comparison. 'Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. 'I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf. 'I don't focus on that kind of stuff. That's not what motivates me. I'm not motivated by winning championships. I don't look at the beginning of the year and just say 'Hey, I want to win X amount of tournaments, I want to win whatever it is'. 'I have dreams and aspirations that I think about, but at the end of the day I feel like what motivates me is just getting out and getting to live out my dream. 'I get to play professional golf, and I feel like I'm called to do it to the best of my ability. 'I don't place much emphasis on things that I can accomplish. It's just mostly about putting in the proper work and coming out here and competing. 'I've always done my best when I'm able to live in the present.' Scheffler gave a surprisingly revealing press conference at which he admitted being successful at golf did not fulfil him and he prioritizes being a good husband and father over anything. After winning the Claret Jug he felt his comments were taken out of context and insisted he was not disrespecting the game or making light of his achievements. 'I think it really underestimates what I was trying to communicate. Maybe I didn't do as effective of a job as I hoped to in communicating that,' he added. 'At the end of the day, I have a tremendous amount of gratitude towards moments like these. 'I literally worked my entire life to become good at this game and play this game for a living. It's one of my greatest joys of my life to compete out here. 'To be able to win The Open Championship here at Portrush is a feeling that's really hard to describe. 'This is amazing to win the Open Championship, but at the end of the day, having success in life, whether it be in golf, work, whatever it is, that's not what fulfils the deepest desires of your heart. 'Am I grateful for it? Do I enjoy it? Oh, my gosh, yes, this is a cool feeling. 'It's just tough to describe when you haven't lived it.'
The Journal
21-07-2025
- Sport
- The Journal
Masterful Scottie Scheffler wins The Open at Portrush
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER'S SERENE progress to his first Open Championship became a procession at Royal Portrush as the anticipated charge from Rory McIlroy failed to materialise and no-one else could get close to the relentless American. The reigning US PGA champion claimed the third leg of the career Grand Slam, and his fourth major in total, in some style and has only 11 months to wait to try to complete the set in the same four-year time-frame as 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus did. Only Tiger Woods has achieved it quicker but Scheffler is starting to be mentioned in the same breath – and he is still getting better. He won his first Masters by three, his second by four and May's US PGA by five. However, this was on another scale with his 17-under total giving him a four-shot victory over compatriot Harris English, also runner-up to him at the PGA, in McIlroy's own backyard, which was even more comfortable than the numbers suggest. No-one in the modern era has ever won their first four majors by three shots or more – Young Tom Morris, John Henry Taylor and James Braid all achieved it before the First World War. McIlroy completed his own career Grand Slam at Augusta in April and on Saturday night described victory here for Scheffler, who has now won 25 per cent of all majors since 2022, as 'inevitable'. It was not the boldest prediction ever made in sport but the manner in which his rival clinically clinched the title was nevertheless impressive after becoming only the fourth after Woods, Nicklaus and Gary Player to win the Masters, US PGA and Open before the age of 30. In his Tuesday press conference, in a rare glimpse of his inner thoughts, Scheffler spoke of how being successful at golf does not fulfil him, how he only gets a two-minute buzz from winning and being a good husband and father means more to him. So when he holed his last putt he finally allowed himself to show some emotion, tossing his cap into the air before hugging wife Meredith and son Bennett and being congratulated by parents Scott and Diane. But the 14-month-old Bennett's enjoyment of the victory lasted an even shorter time than his dad's, crying when he was taken from his arms so Scheffler could complete the formalities of signing his card. 'I don't really know exactly what to say. I know I wasn't the fan favourite today,' Scheffler said. Advertisement 'When I'm inside the ropes I'm trying to compete – I don't think of much else. It will take a little while for this to sink in but right now it's pretty cool.' Scottie Scheffler celebrates. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO The chasing pack had teed off more in hope than expectation as the world number one had converted his previous nine 54-hole leads into victories and sure enough, a brilliant approach from the rough to inside a foot saw him birdie the first to pull further away from home favourite McIlroy, struggling for the fast start he needed from six shots behind. He never looked back as birdies at four and five were followed by a clutch 16-footer for par and his biggest show of emotion to date with a fist pump. Mcllroy had birdied the second, bogeyed the fourth and picked up another shot at the 607-yard seventh while, behind him Scheffler found a bunker off the tee but still unerringly holed a 15ft par putt. His over-confidence got the better of him out of sand at the next, hitting the face and leaving his ball in the trap resulting in a double-bogey – his first dropped shots in 33 holes. But if his challengers thought that had left the door ajar it was slammed shut at the very next hole when he landed his approach four feet from the pin to turn at 16 under. McIlroy's mis-hit chip at the 10th for double bogey ended his chances eight back. Birdies at 12 and 15 got him back to 10 under but he would get no closer. English emerged from the pack with a five-under 66 to take second, while compatriot Chris Gotterup proved last week's Scottish Open victory was no fluke with a 67 to finish third on 12 under. Gotterup briefly reduced the gap to four at 13 but Scheffler subsequently carded his fifth and final birdie of the day at 12 to keep him at arm's length. Former US Open champion Wyndham Clark raced through the field with a 65 but he had started from too far back and could only get to 11 under alongside England's Matt Fitzpatrick and China's Haotong Li. Scot Robert MacIntyre, after his US Open near miss, shot 67 for 10 under alongside McIlroy and defending champion Xander Schauffele. Written by Press Association and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
Belfast Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Anger issues are behind me now, promises Clark
After being criticised for throwing a club at the US PGA in May, he then reportedly smashed up two lockers at Oakmont in a fit of anger during last month's US Open. An apology for causing the damage did not prevent him from being banned by the club, as reported by Golf Digest, but he is working to rectify the situation. But it has served to refocus him and a final-round 65 at The Open, which included eight birdies in his last 14 holes, lifted him to 11 under and a first top-five at a major since his 2023 win at Los Angeles Country Club. 'Obviously I feel terrible with what happened. I'm doing anything I can to try to remedy the situation,' he said after his round at Royal Portrush. 'We're trying to keep it private between Oakmont, myself and the USGA. I'm just happy we have a pathway moving forward and we can get past this, move on and hope there's no ill-will towards me and Oakmont.' Oakmont reportedly said any lifting of the ban would be dependent on Clark undergoing anger management. Asked about his issues, Clark added: 'I've had them in the past. I've been pretty open about my mental shift and change to get better, and I did that in '23 and '24. 'Then having a tough year and all the expectations and just frustration all coming together, and I did two stupid things but one thing that it did do is wake me up and get me back into the person I know I am and the person I want to be. 'I don't think those things reflect on who I am and going forward, that stuff is not going to happen again. 'I'm not going to justify what I did in those two things but, yes, it is a very demanding sport. Everyone is always watching you and it's always on you and sometimes it gets the best of you. 'All of us have had moments that we're not proud of, and those two I'm definitely not proud of.' He was also reportedly asked by Oakmont to make a 'meaningful contribution' to a charity of their choosing. 'Obviously it's a no-brainer to pay for the damages. Then I want to give back to the community because I hurt a great place in Pittsburgh,' he added
RTÉ News
21-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Open champ Scottie Scheffler brands Tiger Woods comparisons 'silly'
Newly-crowned Open champion Scottie Scheffler insists it is "silly" to compare him to Tiger Woods. The 28-year-old won his second major of the year after May's US PGA, his fourth in total, and he is three-quarters of the way towards a career Grand Slam – which he can complete at next year's US Open in the same four-year time-frame as Jack Nicklaus. Only 15-time major winner Woods has done it quicker, in three years. The numbers continue to stack up for the world number one, whose 17-under total gave him a four-stroke victory at Royal Portrush but belied how comfortable his win was. On Saturday evening Rory McIlroy, a five-time major winner who himself completed the Grand Slam at the Masters in April, said Scheffler was "inevitable" and his play is giving off a Woods-type aura. He is 111-under-par in majors since the beginning of 2020, 46 shots better than anyone else, and is four from four when it comes to converting 54-hole major leads (Woods won his first 14) and has been world number one for 112 consecutive weeks. "I still think they're a bit silly," Scheffler said of the Woods comparison. "Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. "I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf. "I don't focus on that kind of stuff. That's not what motivates me. I'm not motivated by winning championships. I don't look at the beginning of the year and just say 'Hey, I want to win X amount of tournaments, I want to win whatever it is'. "I have dreams and aspirations that I think about, but at the end of the day I feel like what motivates me is just getting out and getting to live out my dream. "I get to play professional golf, and I feel like I'm called to do it to the best of my ability. "I don't place much emphasis on things that I can accomplish. It's just mostly about putting in the proper work and coming out here and competing. "I've always done my best when I'm able to live in the present." On Tuesday Scheffler gave a surprisingly revealing press conference at which he admitted being successful at golf did not fulfil him and he prioritises being a good husband and father over anything. After winning the Claret Jug he felt his comments were taken out of context and insisted he was not disrespecting the game or making light of his achievements. "I think it really underestimates what I was trying to communicate. Maybe I didn't do as effective of a job as I hoped to in communicating that," he added. "At the end of the day, I have a tremendous amount of gratitude towards moments like these. "I literally worked my entire life to become good at this game and play this game for a living. It's one of my greatest joys of my life to compete out here. "To be able to win The Open Championship here at Portrush is a feeling that's really hard to describe. "This is amazing to win the Open Championship, but at the end of the day, having success in life, whether it be in golf, work, whatever it is, that's not what fulfils the deepest desires of your heart. "Am I grateful for it? Do I enjoy it? Oh, my gosh, yes, this is a cool feeling.
