For the last quarter-century, the Payne Stewart Award has been one of the top prizes in professional golf. On Tuesday, this high honor was officially bestowed to a four-time PGA Tour winner, who is also a citizen of the Navajo Nation.
The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually to the pro golfer who exemplifies “the character, charitable mindset and sportsmanship” that the late 11-time PGA Tourchampion showed both on and off the 18-hole course.
Born and raised in Albuquerque, Notah Begay III excelled at swinging a club. His success on the fairway afforded him the chance to play college golf beside Tiger Woods at Stanford University.
Together, they won a national team championship in 1994.
Begay is widely considered the first Indigenous golfer to compete on the PGA Tour.
When accepting the award, Begay — who is Diné and has ties to the pueblos of San Felipe and Isleta — noted how Native Americans have the lowest graduation rates and life expectancies in the U.S. among all racial and ethnic groups.
“So for me to be standing up here,” said Begay, “as a Stanford graduate with a degree in economics, a four-time PGA Tour winner and a television broadcaster, accepting this prestigious award is a miracle.”
The 53-year-old honoree is a TV golf analyst on NBC Sports and the Golf Channel. He’s also the founder of the nonprofit NB3 Foundation, which has been helping Native kids and families reach health, nutrition and fitness goals.
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