Ernie Els already knows he is going to get emotional.
Nearly every other recipient of the Payne Stewart Award has teared up upon receiving the honor.
Els was announced the winner of the award Wednesday which is given annually to the PGA Tour player who “best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship.” He will be honored during the Tour Championship next month at East Lake Golf Club, the now-permanent home of the event. Els was at the Atlanta course for the announcement.
He said the relationships that he and others had with Stewart are what makes the honor so special and so emotional.
Stewart died in a plane crash in 1999 while on his way to the Tour Championship, which was being held in Houston. Els will be the 18th recipient of the award started by Atlanta-based Southern Company the year following the tragedy.
“I knew Payne,” Els said. “I was a youngster. I was 28 years old when he went in the plane crash. I was in the air at the same time. I went to see my back specialist here in Georgia. I landed in Orlando and Liezl, my girlfriend at the time and now my wife, was in tears. I was like ‘What is going on?’ I remember it like yesterday. …
“That really struck a chord with me. You can’t help but think about all those times with Payne. I think that’s what really gets the guys. I’ve seen all the guys tear up. It will probably happen to me. That’s when it really hits you.”
Els has many accomplishments on the golf course. He is a member of the Hall of Fame, a four-time major winner and owns 70 worldwide wins. However, he is being honored for his work off the course. Els and his wife started the Els for Autism Foundation in 2009 after their son, Ben, now 12, was diagnosed with the disorder. They raised over $30 million, including $6 of their own money, for the major step that took place on Monday with the opening of the Els Center of Excellence. The school, located in Jupiter, Florida, will serve the local, national and international autism communities.
“Nothing has really been built for autistic kids,” Els said. “We hope this one is going to be the start and become the absolute normal for kids with autism. I believe people who want to build these facilities will come and see what it’s all about and build many, many of these facilities around the world. This is needed around the world. We are only touching it in the U.S. Can you imagine what’s going around the rest of the world? It’s mindboggling.”
The Payne Stewart Award comes with a $500,000 grant from Southern Company. The grant is divided into $100,000 to The Stewart Family Foundation, $100,000 in Stewart’s honor to the First Teem of the Ozarks and $300,000 to the charity of the recipient’s choice. The Els for Autism and the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation, which helps young golfers in Els’ home of South Africa, will receive the grant.
Els toured the school Monday as part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He noted that the school was built with the smallest of details in mind for autistic children, including the placement of windows and a two-way mirror for parents to watch. He noted that 1 in 68 children.
“These are the stories we want to tell and the people we want to recognize,” Southern Company’s Executive Vice President Chris Womack said.
Els will be in Atlanta at the Tour Championship, the culmination of the FedEx Cup playoffs with its $10,000,000 prize, for the award presentation. He would also like to be here playing golf but he has some work to do. Els in currently 170th in the FedEx Cup point standings and needs to get into the top 150 for the four-event playoff. This week’s Wyndham Championship is the final tournament to make the playoffs.
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