PONTE
VEDRA BEACH, Fla., July 13,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of his
character, sportsmanship and commitment to charitable giving,
Billy Andrade, who has enjoyed a 35-year career on the PGA
TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, has been named the 2022 recipient of
the PGA TOUR's Payne Stewart Award
presented by Southern Company. Andrade will be honored on
Tuesday, August 23, at the
Payne Stewart Award Ceremony in
conjunction with the TOUR Championship. The ceremony will be
televised live on Golf Channel as part of a "Golf Central" special
from 7-8 p.m. ET at the Southern
Exchange in downtown Atlanta.
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 23 years ago during
the week of the TOUR Championship in 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.
Previous recipients have all distinguished themselves through
their respect for the game, the TOUR's tradition of charity and
their ability to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
"It's very special. Payne was unbelievable to me and I got to
know him very well. I'm speechless really, to think that now I'm
part of this elite group of past recipients who have all done it
the right way," Andrade said. "It's really nice to see that people
have watched and seen that I can inspire others, and I can't thank
Southern Company, the TOUR and Jay
Monahan enough to now call myself a Payne Stewart Award recipient."
Andrade, 58, was born in Bristol,
Rhode Island, but has called Atlanta home since 1988 when he first joined
the PGA TOUR. As an Atlanta
resident, Andrade developed an affinity for the history of East
Lake Golf Club, which will soon add his name next to the other
Payne Stewart Award recipients on a
plaque located in the clubhouse's Great Hall.
Since joining the PGA TOUR, Andrade used his platform to give
back to charitable causes close to his heart, and has continued
that commitment over three decades of playing on the PGA TOUR and
PGA TOUR Champions. He and his wife, Jody, have two children:
Cameron and Grace.
"Billy Andrade is an ideal representation of a Payne Stewart Award recipient," said PGA TOUR
Commissioner Jay Monahan. "As
someone who exudes kindness and respect, Billy is a stranger to no
one, and has spent his career fostering meaningful
relationships.
"Those relationships have helped fuel his chartiable endeavors,
which have spanned more than three decades. That unwavering
commitment to helping others is what draws so many people to Billy,
and what would certainly make Payne proud."
Andrade's Passion for Giving Back
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 winner.
Andrade has chosen to direct funds to a number of charities
including the East Lake Foundation, Camp Twin Lakes and the Boys
and Girls Clubs of Providence.
Further, the $300,000 designation
will be matched by the Andrade family through the GracieCam
Foundation, bringing the total community impact to $600,000.
Andrade has been connected to several Payne Stewart Award recipients throughout his
career. He is a recipient of Wake Forest
University's Arnold Palmer Scholarship, named for the 2000
co-recipient; he has teamed with close friend and 2005 recipient
Brad Faxon since 1991 to generate
support for children's charities in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island; and each May, he partners with
2017 recipient Stewart Cink to host
the East Lake Invitational to raise funds for the East Lake
Foundation and its continued neighborhood revitalization efforts in
Atlanta.
Shortly after his maiden PGA TOUR victory in 1991, Andrade
partnered with Faxon to create the Billy Andrade/Brad Faxon
Charities for Children, Inc., with a mission to support children's
charities in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Since inception, the
organization has generated more than $30
million through its various efforts, which include the CVS
Health Charity Classic, and in 2022 alone, the organization
supported 61 different children's charities in those
communities.
In April of 1999, Andrade and Faxon were both recognized by the
Golf Writers Association of America with the Charlie Bartlett Award, which is given annually
to a playing professional for unselfish contributions to the
betterment of society.
Two months later, Andrade and Faxon held the first CVS Health
Charity Classic, an annual pro-am fundraiser to continue raising
charitable dollars for local nonprofits following the departure of
the PGA TOUR's annual stop at Pleasant Valley Country Club in
Massachusetts. Over the course of
its 23 playings, the CVS Health Charity Classic raised more than
$25 million for children's charities
and recruited PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and LPGA Tour
professionals alike.
In 2020 and 2021, the CVS Health Charity Classic transitioned
into the CVS Health Foundation Hometown Fund, which provided
$2 million in grants annually to
support the organizations that are providing access to health care,
education and social services to the children and families who need
them most.
Each May at East Lake Golf Club, site of the TOUR Championship,
Andrade and fellow Atlanta
resident Cink host the East Lake Invitational, a charity pro-am
that benefits the neighborhood revitalization efforts of the East
Lake Foundation. The event attracts several celebrities, athletes
and professional golfers alike, who travel from around the country
to lend their support.
"For years, Billy's tireless dedication to causes that benefit
the well-being of children has exemplified what we at Southern
Company call being 'bigger than our bottom line,'" said
Tom Fanning, Southern Company
chairman, president & CEO. "His contributions to Atlanta, Rhode
Island and numerous other communities make our world a
better place through providing access to health care, education and
social services for the children and families who need it
most."
On the course
Having grown up in Rhode Island, Andrade ventured south to begin
his path to the PGA TOUR at Wake Forest
University after being named the recipient of the Arnold
Palmer Scholarship. During his time at Wake
Forest, Andrade became one of the top players in school and
ACC history while helping lead the Demon Deacons to an improbable
back-nine comeback to win the 1986 NCAA National Championship; he
was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Officially joining the PGA TOUR in 1988, Andrade collected four
victories on TOUR between 1991-2000. Andrade's first two PGA TOUR
titles in 1991 took place in back-to-back weeks at the Kemper Open
and Buick Classic. The following week, Payne Stewart won his first of two U.S. Open
titles at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
In 2014, he began competing on the PGA TOUR Champions where he
collected three victories that all occurred during the 2015 season,
including the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Andrade is the 25th recipient of the Payne Stewart Award, joining a distinguished
group of respected golfers including Justin
Rose, who was recognized in 2021, and the inaugural
recipients Byron Nelson,
Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer (2000). Other recipients include
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).
About PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf's greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages,
inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities
worldwide.
The PGA TOUR, headquartered in Ponte
Vedra Beach, Florida, co-sanctions tournaments on the PGA
TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica
and PGA TOUR Canada. Members on the PGA TOUR represent the world's
best players, hailing from 28 countries and territories outside
the United States (90
international members). The PGA TOUR has long-term domestic
distribution partnerships for broadcast coverage on CBS, NBC and
Golf Channel and video streaming service on ESPN+. Internationally,
PGA TOUR coverage is available across 200+ countries and
territories in 27 languages via 43 local broadcast partners, in
addition to the digital streaming service platform GOLFTV powered
by PGA TOUR. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit
organizations to maximize charitable giving, and to date,
tournaments across all Tours have generated more than $3.37 billion.
Fans can follow the PGA TOUR on PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in
golf, on the PGA TOUR app and on social media channels, including
Facebook, Instagram (in English, Spanish and Korean), LinkedIn,
TikTok, Twitter, WeChat, Weibo, Toutiao, Douyin and LINE.
About Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a leading energy company serving
9 million customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides
clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric
operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution
companies in four states, a competitive generation company serving
wholesale customers across America, a leading distributed energy
infrastructure company, a fiber optics network and
telecommunications services. Southern Company brands are known for
excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices
below the national average. For more than a century, we have been
building the future of energy and developing the full portfolio of
energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, advanced carbon
capture technologies, natural gas, renewables, energy efficiency
and storage technology. Through an industry-leading commitment to
innovation and a net-zero future, Southern Company and its
subsidiaries develop the customized energy solutions our customers
and communities require to drive growth and prosperity. Our
uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at
the center of everything we do and govern our business to the
benefit of our world. Our corporate culture and hiring practices
have been recognized nationally by the U.S. Department of Defense,
G.I. Jobs magazine, DiversityInc, Black Enterprise, Fortune's
"World's Most Admired Companies" list, Forbes and the Women's
Choice Award. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.
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