MGWA 63rd Annual Awards Dinner Overview
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MGWA 63RD ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER OVERVIEW
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Elmsford, NY (June 9, 2014) — Hall of Famers Fred Couples and Nancy Lopez will headline the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association at the 63rd National Awards Dinner on Monday, June 23 at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, NY. In addition, John Feinstein, The Blackwelder Family, the New Jersey Section of the PGA, and Travelers will complete the list of the evening’s honorees.
Couples, a 15-time winner on the PGA Tour, has been one of the most popular golfers for three decades and will receive the Gold Tee Award, the MGWA’s highest honor, awarded to an individual whose career achievements exemplify the best spirit and traditions of the sport of golf. The 1992 Masters champion has captained the U.S. to victory at the past three Presidents Cup matches and joins Lopez on a very prestigious list of Gold Tee recipients.
“Fred Couples is an all-time fan favorite,” said MGWA President Bruce Beck. “He is a class act and most deserving of the Gold Tee Award.”
Lopez, another fan favorite, will be presented with the Winnie Palmer Award, which recognizes an individual who has consistently given their time, energy and enthusiasm to those less fortunate. For the past 33 years, Lopez passionately lived up to the award’s expectations as the National Ambassador for Adventures in Motion (AIM), based in Dayton, Ohio. She annually hosts a charity golf tournament, AIM for the Handicapped, which benefits mentally challenged, physically handicapped, and others with special needs. Lopez is a highly decorated golfer, who immensely deserves and encompasses this award.
The Lincoln Werden Golf Journalism Award will be presented to Feinstein, an award-winning sports writer and best-selling author. The New York native and Duke alum has authored more than 30 books, 9 being golf- related, including Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story and A Good Walk Spoiled. Feinstein has written for the Washington Post for over 30 years and is a respected voice in sports today, regularly contributing to Sports Illustrated, CBS Radio, ESPN, National Public Radio, and Golf Digest.
The Family of the Year Award goes to the Blackwelders for being an outstanding representation of the values and ideals of golf and family. With Father and son both being professional caddies, and Mother and daughter matching LPGA memberships, this golfing family deserves to be recognized for their truly unique and stunning achievements.
As an inspiration to the golf community and relentless interest and hope in the youth, the New Jersey Section of the PGA will be honored with the MGWA’s Distinguished Service Award. The section has contributed countless efforts in instilling the values and lessons that golf can behold through activities and special events, for people of all ages and backgrounds and continues to provide facilities, equipment, and instruction to New Jersey youth through various outlets, including partnerships with the local community groups, like the YMCA, The First Tee, and the Boys Girls Club.
For exceptional support in the game of golf, Travelers will receive the Bing Crosby Tournament Sponsor Award. A PGA Tour title sponsor since 2007, the Travelers Championship is played annually at TPC of River Highlands in Hartford, Connecticut and has recently extended its title sponsorship agreement for 10 years, joining the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with the longest title sponsor renewals on the PGA Tour. Over the past seven years, the Travelers Championship has generated more than $8 million for hundreds of charities in the greater Hartford area.
About the MGWA National Awards Dinner: Since 1952, the MGWA has recognized the game’s greatest players, contributors, and organizations at its National Awards Dinner – the longest-running and often the largest golf dinner in the U.S. each year.
As longtime MGWA member Jim Nantz says, “There is no dinner in America that celebrates golf like this one.”
A special video celebrates the six decades of the Dinner can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/63849701.
Each year, golf’s leading organizations support the dinner, including the USGA, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, LPGA, MGA, MetLife, and Rolex. The National Awards Dinner has raised over $1.5 million for Caddie Scholarship programs in the metropolitan New York area and benefits the MGA Foundation the Dave Marr Journalism Scholarship at Columbia University as well.
For tickets or additional information, please contact:
Kate Keller 914-347-4653 -- or -- Bruce Smith 914-944-4445
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METROPOLITAN GOLF WRITERS ASSOCIATION