Shock: GWAA Award Winners Actually Include Some Stories You Might Actually Enjoy Reading

Building off their national rebranding as the Rosa Parks' of golf literary rights, the Golf Writers Association of America announced their annual awards early this year to the delight of its members.

Now, I know my headline might cause worry that the annual highlighting of death, misery and press release writing will not provide the final push that will empower the leap off the Swilken Burn bridge you've always contemplated. But not to worry, there's still plenty of death and misery. 

Oh and congrats to Mike McAllister for winning with his December 31, 2009 story on budding architect Cody Carroll.

2010 GWAA CONTEST RESULTS
 
The following is a full list of the winners, including honorable mentions. There were 444 entries in the contest. (Note: *Categories with less 20 entries had first, second and third places only; **category with fewer than 10 entries had first place only.)

Say what?

DAILY
 
DAILY COLUMNS – 1, Ian O’Connor, The Record, Mickelson shows heart in defeat; 2, Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times, David Duval’s extraordinary run in the U.S. Open; 3, Doug Ferguson, Associated Press, Cink shows graciousness in Open win.

Honorable mention: Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times, Soggy Bethpage Black not the usual U.S. Open test; Ron Green, Jr., Charlotte Observer, By going away, Tiger Woods can start to find his way back; Marla Ridenour, Akron Beacon Journal, Marlsaeng’s improbable journey.          
 
DAILY NEWS – 1, Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, Presidents Cup, round two; 2, Gary D’Amato, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Yang pulls a shocker; 3, David Westin, The Augusta Chronicle, Cabrera wins three-man playoff at Masters. Honorable mention: Gary D’Amato, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wie has coming out party at the Solheim Cup; Ron Green, Jr., Charlotte Observer, Lucas Glover wins U.S. Open, proves he’s good enough; Mike Kern, Philadelphia Daily News, Yang beats Tiger at the PGA; Ian O’Connor, The Record, Perry loses the Masters.
 
DAILY FEATURES – 1, Scott Michaux, The Augusta Chronicle, Errie Ball, last living competitor in the first Masters; 2, Ian O’Connor, The Record, Rocco’s loss was Rocco’s gain; 3, Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, The 40th anniversary of George Archer’s Masters win.  Honorable mention: Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press, Public personality of Bethpage Black; Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press, Mystique of the Masters green jacket; Hank Gola, New York Daily News, Sergio returns to New York for the U.S. Open; Randall Mell, Sun Sentinel, Ernie Els and Dan Marino brought together by their autistic children.
 
** DAILY SPECIAL PROJECTS – 1, Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press, African American progress in golf slow, but optimism remains

Ten or less Daily Special Projects entered. Now it's official, newspapers are doomed. Congratulations, Doug.

INTERNET
 
INTERNET COLUMNS – 1, Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM, Watson’s miracle falls short; 2, Leonard Shapiro, Washingtonpost.com, Tiger Woods: Who knew?; 3, Jeff Neuman, RealClearSports.com, A call to the sports therapy hotline about Tiger.  Honorable mention: Jeff Babineau, Golfweek.com, Tiger Woods has the lead at the PGA Championship, but doesn’t appear to be invincible; Tim Rosaforte GolfDigest.com, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus; Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM, Tom Watson loses a heartbreaker at Turnberry; Dave Shedloski, USGA.org, How Lucas Glover won the 109th U.S. Open.
 
INTERNET NEWS – 1, Alan Shipnuck, Golf.com, Tiger “death watch” begins; 2, Alan Shipnuck, Golf.com, Phil Mickelson and John Daly in Memphis; 3, Cameron Morfit, Golf.com, Doug Barron Faces uncertain future. Honorable mention: Michael Bamberger, Golf.com, Soldiers going to Iraq at Augusta airport; Damon Hack, Golf.com, Stewart Cink ends Tom Watson’s run; Jason Sobel, ESPN.com, Slocum surprises at Barclays.
 
INTERNET FEATURES – 1, Mick Elliott, FanHouse.com/AOL Sports, Dream still in sight for Ken Green; 2, Jason Sobel, ESPN.com, Arnold Palmer turns 80; 3, Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM, 10-year-old course designer. Honorable mention: Rhonda Glenn, USGA.org, Betty Jameson was a rare character; Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM, Lucas Glover wins the U.S. Open; Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM, Behind the scenes in the fitness trailer.
 
* INTERNET SPECIAL PROJECTS – 1, Jeff Babineau, Jim McCabe, Rich Skyzinski, Ron Balicki, Alistair Tait, James Achenbach, Adam Schupak, Bradley S. Klein, Dan Mirocha, Golfweek.com; Memories of Payne Stewart; 2, Mercer Baggs, Randall Mell, Jay Coffin, Rex Hoggard, Rich Lerner, GolfChannel.com, An unforgettable decade; 3, Erik Peterson, GolfChannel.com, Sleeping in the car to play Bethpage Black.
 
NON-DAILY
 
NON-DAILY COLUMNS – 1, Dan Jenkins, Golf Digest Index, Old Money vs. New Money; 2, Jeff Babineau, Golfweek, Tom Watson makes a run at his sixth Open Championship; 3, Dave Seanor, Asian Golf Monthly, Futuristic look at the LPGA. Honorable mention: Tom Coyne, Sports Illustrated, Ireland and the 9-hole game; Dan Jenkins, Golf Digest, Greg Norman-Chris Evert marriage set to the movie Casablanca; Jeff Rude, Golfweek, O’Meara’s recovery shot- from darkness to light.
 
NON-DAILY NEWS – 1, Alan Shipnuck, Sports Illustrated, Angel Cabrera wins Masters; 2, Jim Moriarty, Golf World, Stewart Cink defeats Tom Watson at Turnberry; 3, Jeff Rude, Golfweek, Demise of the golf writer.

That only finished third? Tough year for the hard-hitting stories of tragedy and triumph.

Honorable mention: Beth Ann Baldry, Gene Yasuda, Golfweek, Why Carolyn Bivens failed; Jim McCabe, Golfweek, Masters returns to its glory as Angel Cabrera beats Kenny Perry; Jeff Rude, Golfweek, Cruel in the Sun: Cink ruins Watson’s fairytale.
 
NON-DAILY FEATURES – 1, Michael Bamberger, Sports Illustrated, Rory McIlroy; 2, John Feinstein, Golf Digest, Paul Goydos and the affliction that claimed his wife’s life; 3, Dave Kindred, Golf Digest, Ken Green after the accident that claimed his girlfriend, his brother and his dog. Honorable mention: Alan Bastable, Golf Magazine, Bob Torrance; Alan Shipnuck, Sports Illustrated, Michelle Wie; John Strege, Golf World, Missy Farr-Kaye’s battle with breast cancer.
 
* NON-DAILY SPECIAL PROJECTS – 1, David Owen, Ron Whitten, John Barton, Roger Schiffman, Thomas L. Friedman, Golf Digest , Golf and the environment; 2, Steve Rushin, Ron Kaspriske, Ashley Mayo, Jeff Patterson, Sue Sawyer, Mike Stachura, Golf Digest, Celebration of municipal golf courses; 3, Jaime Diaz, Bill Fields, E. Michael Johnson, Tim Rosaforte, John Strege, Golf World, New groove rules.

All winners will be honored at the GWAA’s Annual Awards Dinner April  7 in Augusta, Ga., an event Tiger Woods won't be attending ever again.

"The emotional toll will present a significant challenge to Woods' eventual return to golf."

Post-Tiger statement-reading, I expected Jaime Diaz's March April Golf Digest story on Tiger to not be as timely considering it was probably filed weeks before Tiger's public appearance. However, it remains a fascinating read highlighted by some intriguing conclusions from Diaz, who appears to have more access to the the Woods team than anyone else in the media.

The emotional toll will present a significant challenge to Woods' eventual return to golf. His greatest advantage as a player has long been the otherworldly knack for playing his best when he needed to most. It came with a clean mind free of baggage, serene under pressure. It was an ability he believed he earned through diligent practice on the right things. One that made him feel crucial eight-footers on the 72nd green deserved to go in, one that made him feel good about himself. "If you walk up to a mirror, look at yourself and say, with no hesitation, 'I love myself,' then everything is fine," he told me during an interview in 1999. "That has never been a problem my entire life." Now, however, it's reasonable to surmise that it is.

Alan Shipnuck offers a far different take on the statement-reading in this week's SI:

Woods said he doesn't know when he will return to golf, and judging by his fragility, it won't be any time soon. At some point he will reclaim his destiny as a golfer, but it is now an open question whether he will be the same player he was. Part of what made Woods such a relentless achiever was his selfishness. He gave nothing beyond his performance. He played the gentleman's game in a controlled rage, hocking loogies, chucking clubs and dropping f bombs. If you didn't like it, too bad. All his recent soul-searching, though, has convinced Woods that he is not exempt from golf's code of conduct. "When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game," he said on Friday. Easier said than done, perhaps: Tiger is not Arnie, who could play with controlled fury, then throttle back once the final putt had dropped.

The Miami Herald's Greg Cote makes a strong case that the statement reading was far more humiliating than many have realized.

For circumventing a news conference he's the manipulating control freak. But if he had a news conference and chosen not to answer the most intrusive questions, he would have been decried as dodging. The majority of media -- insulted by Woods being in control, angry over the many weeks of silence or simply not wanting to appear soft -- was predisposed to blast Woods' statement as a sham before he ever uttered a word.

Get this straight: No law required that Woods submit to media interrogation as if on trial. He was perfectly entitled to handle it the way he did without the presumption of disingenuousness just because reporters were not there to cross-examine.

The biggest insult in my line of work is to be seen as soft or gullible, but sometimes you need to risk those labels to get to any place close to compassion.

For an iconic athlete of this echelon, especially one who grooms his image so carefully, the public shame alone is the greatest punishment.

"Too Much Sex Can Be a Bad Thing....For Little Tigers Too. Help Keep Your Cats (and Dogs) Out of Trouble: Always Spay or Neuter!"

Eloísa Ruano González of the Orlando Sentinel reports on the most brazen attempt yet to milk Tiger's misfortune. This one probably will end with an angry letter on really, really nice stock stationery.

The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals is searching for a local advertiser to put up a billboard in Windermere, which will include an image of Woods and text: "Too Much Sex Can Be a Bad Thing....For Little Tigers Too. Help Keep Your Cats (and Dogs) Out of Trouble: Always Spay or Neuter!"

It will be a challenge to find an advertiser to put up the sign, acknowledged Virginia Fort, a campaigner with PETA who is working on the project.

"It's a fun, tongue-in-cheek approach. We hope these billboard companies will understand," Fort said.

She said the billboard isn't meant to offend the golfer, his family or fans, but to prevent millions of cats and dogs from being euthanized at shelters each year.

Then again, Tiger's bio on his own website isn't helping matters, as reader Jon noticed this line: "In addition to his playing exploits, Woods is busy off the course, too."

"This is why they became rock stars, so they don't have to apologize. God bless them."

A different take on Tiger from Mark Morford of the San Francisco Chronicle:

But here's the bigger truth: Tiger wasn't apologizing to actual people, to his wife or kids or even his confused fans. Tiger was apologizing, straight up and to the bone, to capitalism itself. To his own brand. It was a scary attempt to shore up the multimillions in endorsement deals, his future as a billion-dollar icon. Tiger the man was apologizing to Tiger, Inc., mostly for tainting its earnings potential.

It's the golden rule of capitalism: Don't f-- with a hot brand. It's blasphemy of the highest order, made doubly potent by the fact that we're the ones who helped create the brand in the first place, who bought into the saccharine lie and absurd marketing BS of Tiger's impossible squeaky faultlessness.

It's a bit like Coca-Cola stepping forth and admitting, "Gosh, so sorry for making everyone obese and contributing to global diabetes rates, but you know what? You buy our garbage, don't you? You actully believe the silly commercials with the polar bears and the singing children. You really think sticky goopy chemical-laden high-fructose water is refreshing and healthy? Really?"

It also points up a terrifying trend, a broad and rather pathetic theme in our culture: Precious few are the celebrities, politicians, sports icons or rock stars who would dare step in front of a camera after some sort of "scandalous" misbehavior and smile, or even laugh, shrug it all off and tell everyone to lighten the hell up and go worry about something important. Well, maybe a few rock stars. This is why we love them. This is why they became rock stars, so they don't have to apologize. God bless them.

"Walking to the tee is kind of like seeing a police car in your rearview mirror, and you don't know if they're after you or not. If you're lucky and the police car roars by, you can take a deep breath."

I'm off to Scottsdale to see what the Waste Management Open is all about and to write a story for Golf World. I'm excited to attend a golf tournament where people show up (35,000 Tuesday according to a Jason Sobel Tweet??). Not so wild about dealing with drunk frat boys, but that's why we have the media center.

Steve DiMeglio looks at the spectacle that has become the 16th hole.

"There are obviously some players who probably don't like all the noise that's basically on every hole," Anthony Kim says. "But look, if you can't play in that kind of atmosphere, don't go to the tournament.

"It's a one-time-a-year deal. It's a great event."

It's the one week of the year where golfers pack a healthy portion of patience — and a good sense of humor — into their travel bags as they head to TPC Scottsdale. The tournament has earned its well-deserved reputation for attracting throngs of partiers who know or care little about golf etiquette.

And we're talking throngs. In one day the tournament attracts as many people as other tournaments attract all week. In the last two years, more than 525,000 people have attended the tournament — each year.

In the Valley of the Sun, a colossal gathering of fans of all stripes, shapes and sizes cranks up the volume with earsplitting enthusiasm, often lubricated by libations served at scores of concession stands. While the drivable par-17th can get downright ridiculous with its massive tee-to-green gallery, and the par-4 finishing hole can turn into a sea of people, the hot spot of the seven-day bash is the par-3, 162-yard 16th, the most untamed hole in golf.

And I loved this, even though I'm not entirely sure what he's talking about...but I think he's referring to the walk and eventual relief reaching 17 tee:

"That can be a very scary hole," PGA Tour veteran Joe Durant says. "Walking to the tee is kind of like seeing a police car in your rearview mirror, and you don't know if they're after you or not. If you're lucky and the police car roars by, you can take a deep breath."

I'm also curious about this element of the hole, as reported on by Jason Sobel:

There's more to it than simply reacting to golf shots, though. There's an element of creativity that helps set the scene.

"Somehow," said Jonathan Kaye, who won here in 2003, "they know more than everybody. Literally. They know your birthday. They know your kids. They know your dog's name. I don't know how they find out all that stuff, but they do."

It's all in the name of fun -- and there's no hole all season that provides as much entertainment as this one.

Snow At Augusta

These have been making the rounds online (thanks to the readers who forwarded the email) and there are a few more I don't have here at A True Golfer.

The images were captured February 13th. I cropped the date out to protect the innocent, not that Augusta National should find it offensive that these made it online. Then again, it is Augusta National.

Amazing to think that in less than two months the scene will be idyllic and the turf pristine.

Looks like the heating system is working under No. 12 green. And arguably one of the prettiest golf photos I've ever seen: