Tom Lehman Wins Payne Stewart Award, Reflects on the Award's Namesake

ATLANTA -- Over a 30-year professional career, Tom Lehman won a British Open. He played on three Ryder Cup teams and captained another. He was the 1996 PGA Tour Player of the Year. He won this year's Senior PGA Championship.

Those accomplishments, however, did not prepare him for Thursday's victory.

Lehman, known for his benevolence and honor, was presented with the Payne Stewart award, presented annually to a player sharing the late golfer's respect for the traditions of the game, his commitment to upholding the sport's heritage of charitable support and his professional and meticulous presentation of himself and the sport through his dress and conduct.

"You know, winning a golf tournament is one thing," Lehman said. "You work and practice and you prepare and you go out and you give your very best, and hopefully, you're the best this week and you get the trophy.

"An award like this, I'm not really sure how to take quite frankly, just because there's so many conflicting emotions.

"When I was told I was going to receive this award, I started thinking about my years knowing Payne Stewart. I think the overriding feeling is I really wish that this award wasn't being given out for another 30 years."

Stewart, the flashy dresser with a classic swing and three major championships, died in a 1999 private plane crash three days before he was to compete in the Tour Championship.

Remembering the award's namesake, Lehman told a story from the Ryder Cup earlier that year when he was teamed with Stewart on a winning U.S. team at Brookline. Stewart had been the final player in singles competition on the final day, playing against Colin Montgomerie.

"There was so much about that week that I learned about him," Lehman said. "On Sunday, the U.S. Team really believed that we had -- if you can imagine it, the upper hand going into the singles. We felt like we were a favorite in every match but yet we were four points down, and we ended up winning, and he was the last match on the course.

"And he had put this stars and stripes Uncle Sam top hat into his bag, so after all is said and done, I said, 'why didn't you put that hat on?' It was a big celebration. Why didn't you put the hat on walking down the 18th fairway. His comment was, 'I couldn't do that to Monty.' "I thought about that, and I think that really says a lot about his idea of sportsmanship, his idea of competition, his idea of respect for your competitor, his idea of respect for the game," Lehman continued.

"He couldn't do that to Monty because he didn't want to in any way show any kind of disrespect for the event and the people that he respected. So there was a lot that I learned about that, about people, about dealing with people, about having fun and about respecting the game from Payne."

"As we enter the second decade of the Payne Stewart Award, Tom Lehman's name, reputation, character and accomplishments are certainly at home on the list with those who have received the award before him."
-- Tim Finchem, PGA Tour commissioner Lehman, a native of Minnesota, turned professional in 1982. A born-again Christian, he has since used golf to give back to his community and those in need. From 1995-2002, Lehman hosted a charity golf tournament that raised more than $4.7 million for the Children's Cancer Research Fund at the University of Minnesota. He is also involved with "Match Point," a Phoenix-based program that matches adults with troubled children, giving both his money and time. Lehman was honored with the 2001 Charles Bartlett Award, given by the Golf Writers Association of America, for unselfish contributions to golf. He also received the first Byron Nelson Prize from the Salesmanship Club of Dallas at the 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship. The award is given to a person or organization in the golf world who exemplifies the ideals of "giving back" that Nelson personified.

"As we enter the second decade of the Payne Stewart Award, Tom Lehman's name, reputation, character and accomplishments are certainly at home on the list with those who have received the award before him," said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem. "Tom has achieved success both on the course and in his personal life, and he has utilized that success to help improve the lives of those around him. We're thrilled to honor Tom with the Payne Stewart Award and thank him for his service to the PGA Tour, the game of golf and the charitable community."

Lehman becomes the 13th recipient of the award. The inaugural Payne Stewart Award was presented in 2000 to Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Ben Crenshaw was the 2001 recipient, followed by Nick Price (2002), Tom Watson (2003), Jay Haas (2004), Brad Faxon (2005), Gary Player (2006), Hal Sutton (2007), Davis Love III (2008) and Kenny Perry (2009).

In addition to a sculpture presented to the recipient, the Payne Stewart Award is accompanied by an annual Payne Stewart Award Grant presented by Southern Company. The $300,000 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 The First Tee of the Ozarks located in Missouri at Kids Across America; and $100,000 to a charity designated by the winner. Lehman has chosen the Lehman Family Foundation.