MGWA to Honor Jimmy Roberts with the Lincoln Werden Golf Journalism Award

METROPOLITAN GOLF WRITERS ASSOCIATION

TO HONOR JIMMY ROBERTS WITH THE

LINCOLN WERDEN GOLF JOURNALISM AWARD

 

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 12, 2023)  Jimmy Roberts – 14-time Emmy Award winner, famed broadcaster, interviewer, TV studio host and renowned feature reporter – has been chosen by the MGWA to receive the Lincoln Werden Golf Journalism Award at its 71st National Awards Dinner on Wednesday, October 11th.  The Dinner will be held at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, in Briarcliff Manor, NY, site of numerous golf championships, including the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur.  Among others who will be celebrated at the Dinner later this year are 2023 Gold Tee honoree Larry Nelson, Gil Hanse (Paul Dillon Distinguished Service Award), Julio Ugaz (Mary Bea Porter Award), and the Youngs (Cameron, David and Barbara), this year’s MGWA Family of the Year.

 

The MGWA’s Lincoln Werden Journalism Award is presented to a writer, broadcaster, photographer, artist, or other individual for outstanding contributions in the field of golf journalism. Previous recipients of this prestigious award include notable correspondents Jim McKay, Peter Alliss, Chris Schenkel and Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Anderson. Recent recipients include Jaime Diaz (2017), Hank Gola (2018), Larry Dorman (2019) and Johnny Miller (2020-21).  Last year’s recipient was noted NY Post sports reporter Mark Cannizzaro.

 

Born and raised in Westchester County, NY, Jimmy Roberts’ journalism career began in high school, where he wrote columns for the school newspaper.  He graduated from the University of Maryland, where one of his Emmy Awards is on display at the popular campus hangout R.J. Bentley’s Filling Station in College Park, MD.  Roberts was an original employee at Bentley’s as a Maryland undergrad.

 

Following college, Roberts became a staff reporter for a local Westchester/Rockland (NY) newspaper.  He then began his meteoric rise in the sports world as a writer/feature producer on ABC’s SportsBeat with Howard Cosell.  He later became an assignment editor and producer for ABC News, then moved over to ESPN, where he was a co-originator of the popular series, “Outside the Lines.”  Roberts also worked on SportsCenter, where he covered just about every major event in the sporting world, including Superbowls, NBA Championships, World Series’, Heavyweight Championship fights and the Olympics.

 

Roberts joined NBC in 2000, where he currently covers the PGA Tour and other golf events including the Ryder Cup for both the network and the Golf Channel.  He is also a mainstay of NBC’s Olympic Games coverage.

 

"I cannot think of a candidate more deserving of the Lincoln Werden Award,” said MGWA President Brian Crowell. “Jimmy's work is always insightful, well-researched and entertaining. Golf may be a particular strength, but he has been the voice of countless memorable stories in sport...and no one tells a story better than Jimmy. The MGWA is proud to honor Jimmy Roberts as our 2023 Lincoln Werden Award winner." 

 

The MGWA has celebrated the game of golf and promoted golf journalism since its inception in 1952.  Each year, it honors the sport’s champions and contributors at its largest fundraiser, the National Awards Dinner.  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 the Association’s beneficiaries, which include Caddie Scholarship programs in the Metropolitan New York area, the MGA Foundation, and the Dave Marr Journalism Scholarship at Columbia University.  

 

Click here to purchase tickets to the Dinner.  For more information, contact Robin Sauerhaft, MGWA Executive Administrator, at: rsauerhaft@mgagolf.org.