The Payne Stewart award recognizes sportsmanship, character and charitable involvement.
The 2015 recipient is a worthy man — he is Ernie Els.
Aside from his decades of achievement on the golf course, Els has been heavily involved in establishing the Center for Excellence in his hometown of Jupiter, Fl. He’s a gentle giant of a man and moves easily around his community.
Els was fortunate to know the late Payne Stewart when he first came to the PGA Tour after making a name for himself in Europe and his acceptance speech showed his deep respect for the attributes associated with the award.
It has gone to some of the biggest stars in the game — Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson, to name a few.
