Paul Azinger didn’t just accept the Payne Stewart Award—he delivered a moment that made the entire room pause and rethink life beyond golf. Known for his fiery Ryder Cup leadership and unfiltered honesty, Azinger went off-script with raw stories of friendship, loss, and purpose that left even seasoned Tour pros shaken.

As NBC’s Dan Hicks put it on the 5 Clubs podcast, “With Zing, you never quite know what you’ll get—and that unpredictability makes his words hit even harder.”

That unpredictability came to life at the ceremony. Hicks recalled, “Absolutely. I saw Zing before the ceremony. He was a little nervous and he’s all over the place. I mean, you know, Zing’s got all these things racing through his mind. Should I tell this story? Should I do this? Should I do that? I said, Zing, just do yourself, be yourself, because that’s what people want. That’s why you were so close with Paine.”

That advice echoed the essence of Azinger and Stewart’s bond. Paul Azinger and Payne Stewart shared a friendship grounded in authenticity, echoing the advice Hicks recalled—“just do yourself, be yourself.” They were two kindred spirits whose bond was defined by honesty, loyalty, and mutual respect, strengthened both on and off the course by their shared love of golf. As Hicks added, “You guys are just two pals who were so much alike. So you never know what you’re really going to get from Zing, right? He kept talking about how he was going off the teleprompter a little bit, and he was going off a lot because he had so many things racing through his mind that he wanted to touch.”

The most powerful moment came when Azinger spoke about the loss of his dear friend. Hicks reflected, “But I just thought the end of the speech just absolutely blew me away, and he never really told anybody about when he found out about Paine’s death, and just the way he shared it with the crowd and the television audience, that he just, his knees buckled, and that’s the moment where during the speech that he really kind of lost it, and rightly so. But you could just see the emotion that was going through him again when he was talking about losing his good friend. It was a powerful, powerful moment. It’s a powerful night, even without a guy like Zing, who knew Paine as well as anybody did.”

That emotion was rooted in tragedy. Payne Stewart’s death in a 1999 plane crash, just months after winning the U.S. Open, stunned the golf world. Paul Azinger, devastated by the loss of his close friend, delivered part of the eulogy at his funeral. Stewart’s legacy of faith, character, and purpose continues to guide Azinger beyond the game.

Looking back at the ceremony, Hicks summed it up: “But Zing just really brought the night to a whole other level. And those guys that you said were there, those PGA Tour players, some of them there for the very first time.” The night carried deep meaning. Azinger’s Payne Stewart Award acceptance was both a tribute to his late friend and a moment of inspiration. He called it “one of the proudest moments” of his life, and Commissioner Jay Monahan said that “if anyone truly understood Payne Stewart’s values, it was Azinger himself”—a testament to how his words elevated the ceremony’s significance.

That significance wasn’t lost on the next generation. “You look out in the audience and there’s, you know, an Akshay Bhatia and a Chris Gotterup, their eyes wide open as if to say, wow, this is a cool night. They had never seen anything quite like it. Moments like that get young players thinking—yeah, it’s great to have that great career, but what else are you going to do?” While rising stars like Bhatia and Gotterup were in attendance, the broader takeaway was how the evening pushed everyone to think beyond golf. Azinger himself called it “one of the proudest moments” of his life, and Commissioner Jay Monahan remarked, “if anyone truly understood Payne Stewart’s values, it was Azinger.” The night became a reminder that great careers are only part of a legacy—character and purpose matter just as much. As Azinger told the audience, “Purpose isn’t something we wait to find. It is something we live today,” a challenge that resonated with both veterans and newcomers alike.

Living Beyond the Game: How Payne Stewart and Paul Azinger Shaped Golf’s Heart and Soul

Payne Stewart was more than a three-time major champion—he embodied sportsmanship, character, and tradition. Known for his knickers and tam o’ shanter hats, he inspired fans and peers alike, and his legacy lives on through the Payne Stewart Award, created to honor character, charity, and integrity in golf.

Paul Azinger, one of Stewart’s closest friends, has long reflected those values. He captained the U.S. Ryder Cup team to victory in 2008, supports families through the Paul and Toni Azinger Charitable Fund, and in 2025 received the Payne Stewart Award himself.

As Tiger Woods said, “Payne Stewart was a great ambassador for golf. He played with passion and respect.” Justin Rose added, “Paul Azinger’s guidance exemplifies the values the Payne Stewart Award represents.” Together, their legacy shows that integrity and purpose matter just as much as trophies.