For Gary Koch, Monday likely will go down as better than most.
In recognition of his character, sportsmanship and commitment to charitable giving, the six-time PGA Tour winner and former NBC Sports golf commentator best-known for his celebrated “better than most” call, has been named the 2023 recipient of the PGA Tour’s Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company.
“To be honored with this award and to think that people may think of me in the same vein as Payne Stewart is truly unbelievable,” Koch said. “When you’re recognized by your peers for something you’ve accomplished and how you treat people, it means a tremendous amount. I would say this is the highlight of my career.”
Koch will be honored on Tuesday, August 22, 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.
Gary Koch during the second round of the 2011 Cleveland Golf Srixon Scottish Senior Open at the Torrance Course at Fairmont St Andrews in Scotland. (Photo by Phil Inglis/Getty Images)
“From a decorated amateur and professional playing career to his legacy as a broadcaster, where his voice and commentary became the soundtrack of so many memorable moments in PGA Tour history, Gary Koch is the epitome of what it means to be a Payne Stewart Award recipient,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Today, Gary continues to show his passion and character through his dedication towards making our game more welcoming and accessible to the next generation in the Tampa area. We are thrilled Gary will join the list of Payne Stewart Award winners who – through golf – have achieved greatness, inspired others and impacted lives.”
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 24 years ago during the week of the Tour Championship in 1999.
Koch, 70, was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but calls Tampa, Florida, home. As a player, Koch burst onto the scene with his unlikely victory in the 1969 Florida Open as a 16-year-old amateur. One year later, he won the 1970 U.S. Junior Amateur at Athens Country Club and later decided to pursue his collegiate career at his…
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