PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – In recognition of his character, sportsmanship and commitment to charitable giving, the PGA TOUR will present 12-time PGA TOUR winner Paul Azinger with the PGA TOUR’s Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company.

To witness Azinger’s reaction to receiving the news from Tracey and Aaron Stewart, tune in to "The Drop presented by SERVPRO" on Monday at 7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel and across PGA TOUR YouTube and FAST Channels. The TOUR will honor Azinger on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at the Payne Stewart Award Ceremony in conjunction with the TOUR Championship. Golf Channel will televise the ceremony as part of a “Golf Central” special from 7-8 p.m. ET at the Southern Exchange in downtown Atlanta.

“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,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “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.”

The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually by the PGA TOUR to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically 26 years ago during the week of the TOUR Championshipin 1999. Southern Company, the Official Energy Company of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, was the TOUR Championship presenting sponsor the year of Stewart’s passing. A year later, the PGA TOUR created the Payne Stewart Award in his honor, and Southern Company has supported the annual presentation since its inception.

Azinger, 65, is a Holyoke, Massachusetts, native and has 12 TOUR titles to his credit, including his most memorable victory, the 1993 PGA Championship. Back home in Florida’s Bradenton/Sarasota area, he and his wife, Toni, give back through the Azinger Family Compassion Center in Manatee County. The Azingers have two children, Sarah Jean and Josie Lynn.

“To be named the recipient of this award, representing my dearest friend, is one of the proudest moments in my life,” said Azinger. “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.”

Azinger’s charitable commitment

In addition to a sculpture by Bob Pack presented to the recipient, the Payne Stewart Award is accompanied by an annual Payne Stewart Award grant made possible by Southern Company. The $500,000 grant supports several initiatives in Stewart’s name and is distributed as follows: $100,000 to Payne and Tracey Stewart’s primary charity, The Stewart Family Foundation; $100,000 in Stewart’s honor to Payne Stewart Memorial, located in Missouri at Kids Across America, which is affiliated with Kanakuk Kamps; and $300,000 to a charity designated by the recipient.

Azinger is directing funds to the Paul and Toni Azinger Charitable Fund, which will be used to continue the work at the Azinger Family Compassion Center. Opened in 2021 on the campus of One More Child, the 12,000-square-foot facility, which aims to serve vulnerable and struggling families within Manatee County, continues to make a difference in the lives of hungry kids, sex-trafficked children and working families living paycheck to paycheck.

Over the past year, the Azinger Family Compassion Center for One More Child has distributed nearly $19 million worth of food, clothing, household items and other needed supplies, and supported more than 190 nonprofit partners from the surrounding area.

One More Child Foundation supports the Compassion Center, which includes donation and sorting rooms, distribution areas, a family market, enrichment rooms and programmatic areas. The Compassion Centers provide support, empowerment and impact countless lives within the communities in which they are based.

“Paul Azinger is a tremendous selection to be the next recipient of the Payne Stewart Award. Paul is a champion and leader who personifies what it means to be a Payne Stewart Award recipient, purposefully embodying Payne’s values of character, charity and sportsmanship,” said Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company. “Paul and Toni are deeply committed to serving their community and continue to do remarkable philanthropic work supporting kids and families in their time of need.”

Azinger inside the ropes

Azinger has spent more than four decades ingrained in the professional golf community, first as a player then as a longtime broadcaster.

He spent his formative years in Sarasota prior to a successful collegiate career at Florida State University. After transferring from Brevard Community College, Azinger led the Seminole golf team to its highest-ever ranking. While at FSU, he was the Metro Conference individual champion and the 1981 team’s Most Valuable Player.

Shortly after college, Azinger joined the PGA TOUR, earning his 1982 playing privileges at the 1981 Fall Qualifying Tournament in Texas. Following a challenging start to his career, he broke through in 1987 with his first TOUR title, at the Travelers Championship. His most memorable victory came in 1993 at the PGA Championship at Inverness Club in Ohio, where he defeated Greg Norman on the second hole of a playoff. Later that year, doctors diagnosed Azinger with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in his right shoulder, a cancer he beat after six months of chemotherapy and five weeks of radiation.

Azinger’s cancer diagnosis afforded him the opportunity to work in television in 1995 during his recovery. After continuing his PGA TOUR career for several more seasons, which included his final TOUR win at the 2000 Sony Open in Hawaii, Azinger returned to television full time in 2005 and spent nearly two decades in lead-analyst roles with ESPN, ABC Sports, Fox Sports and NBC Sports. In 2025, Azinger began a new chapter in his broadcasting career as a part-time lead analyst for PGA TOUR Champions.

Besides those 12 PGA TOUR victories during his 28-year TOUR career, Azinger was a member of four U.S. Ryder Cup teams (1989, 1991, 1993 and 2002). He captained the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2008 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, where he led the Americans to their first victory over the European team since 1999.

The Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame inducted Azinger in 1988.

Azinger is the 28th recipient of the Payne Stewart Award, joining a distinguished group of respected golfers and previous honorees. Brandt Snedeker, who was recognized in 2024, is the most-recent recipient. The inaugural recipients were Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer (2000). Other recipients are Gary Koch (2023), Billy Andrade (2022), Justin Rose (2021), Zach Johnson (2020), Hale Irwin (2019), Bernhard Langer (2018), Stewart Cink (2017), Jim Furyk (2016), Ernie Els (2015), Sir Nick Faldo (2014), Peter Jacobsen (2013), Steve Stricker (2012), David Toms (2011), Tom Lehman (2010), Kenny Perry (2009), Davis Love III (2008), Hal Sutton (2007), Gary Player (2006), Brad Faxon (2005), Jay Haas (2004), Tom Watson (2003), Nick Price (2002) and Ben Crenshaw (2001).