GOLF WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
GOLFWEEK, DIAZ TOP GWAA WRITING CONTEST
HOUSTON (February 18, 2016) – Golfweek won three first-place awards and Golf
Digest’s Jaime Diaz won the ninth first-place of his career to top the list of winners in the
2016 GWAA Writing Contest Awards.
Golfweek’s Jeff Babineau picked up the fourth win of his career with a Daily feature on “Sam and the King” on Golfweek.com, while Beth Ann Nichols captured her second career first-place with a win in Daily News for her story on the USA’s historic Solheim Cup comeback on Golfweek.com. Martin Kaufmann won his first first-place with a Non- Daily Column for Golfweek entitled “Why is this course holding an Open?”
Diaz’s Non-Daily News story – “Inside the Ryder Cup meltdown” – moved him into a tie for second on the all-time win list with Alan Shipnuck of Sports Illustrated. They are one win behind career leader Dan Jenkins. Diaz also earned an Honorable Mention in Non- Daily Features for his story on Bubba Watson.
Golf Digest picked up a second win with Tom Callahan’s Non-Daily Feature – “The Golfer Who Killed Bin Laden”. This was Callahan’s eighth win, putting him into a tie for fourth on the all-time win list with Global Golf Post’s Ron Green Jr., and Augusta Chronicle columnist Scott Michaux.
Golfchannel.com pulled in two wins with Joe Posnanski’s Daily Column on Calvin Peete and a Special Project — “Tiger at 40” – by Mercer Baggs, Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner. It was the second win for Baggs; the first for Posnanski, Hoggard and Lavner.
All winners will be honored at the 44th ISPS HANDA GWAA Awards Dinner presented by the PGA of America, PGA TOUR and USGA on April 6 at Savannah Rapids Pavilion in Augusta Ga.
The full list of winners is on the next page.
2016 GWAA WRITING CONTEST RESULTS
The following is a full list of the winners, including honorable mentions.
There were 416 entries in the 2016 contest
DAILY
DAILY COLUMNS – 1, Joe Posnanski, Peete worked his way to the top, Golfchannel.com; 2, Mike McAllister, Instincts, poise fuel Spieth, PGATOUR.com; 3, Dave Kindred, Jordan Spieth, good heavens, Golfdigest.com.
Honorable mention: John Hopkins, Zach Johnson, no trouble at all, Global Golf Post; Mike McAllister, Stop trying to kill the Lone Fir, PGATOUR.com; Adam Schupak, Fowler buries overrated tag, Golfweek.com.
DAILY NEWS – 1, Beth Ann Nichols, USA’s historic Solheim comeback, Golfweek.com; 2, Cameron Morfit, Watson crosses the bridge, Golf.com; 3, Hank Gola, Inspired Fowler wins Players, NY Daily News.
Honorable mention: Gary D’Amato, Spieth wins Masters, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel; Bill Fields, Masters bids Crenshaw fond farewell, Masters.com; Keely Levins, Diving into golf at Fishers Island, Golfdigest.com; Mike McAllister, Rickie isn’t overrated now, PGATOUR.com.
DAILY FEATURES – 1, Jeff Babineau, Sam and the King, Golfweek.com; 2, D.J. Piehowski, This is Billy Horschel’s life, PGATOUR.com; 3, Mike Kern, On tour with Sean O’Hair, Philadelphia Daily News
Honorable mention: Ron Borges, Diligence separates Spieth, Boston Herald; Joe Posnanski, Spieth shines brightest at Masters, Golfchannel.com; Brian Wacker, Hollywood’s most famous son, PGATOUR.com.
NON DAILY
NON-DAILY COLUMNS – 1, Martin Kaufmann, Why is this course holding an Open?, Golfweek;
2, Max Adler, The mystique of St. Andrews, Golf Digest; 3, Bob Carney, Baby boomers guide to millennials, Golf Digest.
Honorable mention: Michael Bamberger, The Meaning of Tiger, Golf Magazine; Bill Fields, In defense of past generations, Links Magazine; Ron Sirak, Indomitable Miss Suggs, Golf Digest.
NON-DAILY NEWS – 1, Jaime Diaz, Inside Ryder Cup meltdown, Golf Digest; 2 (tie) Adam
Schupak, Unbroken, Golfweek; Alan Shipnuck, Spieth masters Augusta, Sports Illustrated.
Honorable mention: Michael Bamberger, Spieth chases history; Johnson wins, Sports Illustrated; Jim McCabe, Fearless Spieth wins Masters, Golfweek; Alan Shipnuck, Spieth steps closer to Slam, Sports Illustrated
NON-DAILY FEATURES – 1, Tom Callahan, The golfer who killed Bin Laden, Golf Digest; 2, Cameron Morfit, Jason Day’s greatest save, Golf Magazine; 3, Jim McCabe, A look at conceded putts, Golfweek.
Honorable mention – Jaime Diaz, Being Bubba Watson, Golf Digest; Marino Parascenzo, In a class of her own, Pittsburgh Quarterly; Dave Shedloski, Something special: The first Memorial, Memorial Magazine.
SPECIAL PROJECTS – 1, Mercer Baggs, Rex Hoggard, Ryan Lavner , Tiger at 40, Golfchannel.com; 2, Scott Michaux, “Bubba and the Georgia golf factory”, Augusta Chronicle; 3, David Westin and Scott Michaux, “McIlroy has career slam in sight”, Augusta Chronicle
Honorable mention: Michael Bamberger, “Postcards from St. Andrews,” Golf.com; Lorne Rubenstein, Tiger at 40, The Interview, Time Magazine; Alan Shipnuck, Cameron Morfit, Gary Van Sickle, Joe Passov, Josh Sens, Michael Bamberger Tiger’s top 40 moments, Golf.com
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Contact: Melanie Hauser
Golf Writers Association of America