Press Releases

MCCORMICK FAMILY TO RECIEVE

MGWA FAMILY OF THE YEAR AWARD

 

For Immediate Release

 

Elmsford, N.Y. (July 22, 2024) — The McCormick family –Mark, Linda, Ryan and Mark James – has been chosen as the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association’s 2024 Family of the Year.  They will be honored at the MGWA’s 72nd  National Awards Dinner on Monday, October 7th at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, NY. The MGWA’s Family of the Year Award honors a family for its contributions to the game and for representing the virtues and ideals of golf and family.  Among others who will be celebrated at the Dinner are Luke Donald (Gold Tee Award) and Steve DiMeglio (Lincoln Werden Golf Journalism Award).

 

Family patriarch Mark began his golf career on the men’s golf team at Montclair State University, NJ.  He turned pro in 1989 and joined the PGA of America four years later.  In addition to his job as Head Golf Professional at Suburban Golf Club in Union, NJ (which he has held since 2000), Mark has competed in numerous national tournaments, including the 2012 U.S. Open at San Francisco’s Olympic Club and the 2017 U.S. Senior Open at the Salem Country Club in Peabody, MA, and the 2023 U.S Senior Open in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.   Additionally, he was the champion of the 2008 NJ State Open and the 2019 NJ State Senior Open.  In 2021, he was inducted into the NJPGA Hall of Fame.  

 

In 2014, son Ryan, a St. John’s University men’s golf alum, helped lead the team to its first Big East golf championship in 15 years.  He was also named as an All-Big East selection three times during his college career.  He is currently competing in his rookie year on the PGA Tour after playing on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023, with a top-5 finish in the Myrtle Beach Classic this past May.

 

Although in less public roles, wife/mother Linda and son Mark James have also been involved with golf for years.  Linda has been the golf shop manager at Suburban Golf Club since 2005, while Mark James  has worked the in the multimedia departments of the NJSGA, the NJPGA, the MGA and most recently the USGA.

 

In announcing the award, MGWA President Brian Crowell said, “The McCormicks represent success in all aspects of golf…from playing at the highest levels, to helping others enjoy and appreciate our sport.  The Met area is fortunate to be represented by such a talented and respected family.  The list of McCormick achievements is long, and we’re proud to add MGWA “Family of the Year” to that growing list.”

 

The MGWA has celebrated the game of golf and promoted golf journalism since its inception in 1952, and its National Awards Dinner has been one of the highlights of the golf calendar since then.  It has honored – and been attended by – some of the  greatest names in the sport: Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, JoAnne Carner, Gary Player, Billy Casper, Nancy Lopez, Tom Watson, and Annika Sorenstam, to name just a few.  This highly anticipated event is supported by golf’s leading organizations and corporate supporters, Met Area clubs and club leaders, as well as local and national golf media. Through the Dinner and other events, the MGWA has raised millions of dollars for Caddie Scholarship programs in the Metropolitan New York area, the MGA Foundation, and the Dave Marr Journalism Scholarship. 

 

Click here to purchase tickets to the Dinner.  For more information, view this one-minute video or contact Robin Sauerhaft, MGWA Executive Administrator, at: rsauerhaft@mgagolf.org.


 
 

 

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