Kenny Perry Named 2009 Payne Stewart Award Winner

Ten years after former professional golfer Payne Stewart's tragic plane crash during the week of the 1999 TOUR Championship, 14-time PGA TOUR winner Kenny Perry has been named this year's recipient of the Payne Stewart Award.

The Payne Stewart Award has been awarded to some of the greatest golfers of all time since 2000, including Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson, and Arnold Palmer. The award is given to players who signify the ideals of Payne Stewart during their daily lives on and off the golf course. Stewart was well-regarded for his respect of the traditions of the game, as well as his charitable donations, professionalism, dress, and conduct.

During his 22-year-long career on the PGA TOUR, Perry has been well-respected for his charitable donations and professional mannerisms much like Stewart. Since 1987, Perry has continuously donated a portion of his yearly earnings to Lipscomb University, a liberal arts university located in Nashville, Tennessee. Perry has also built a public golf course near his hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky in order to give back to others who have supported Perry during his career.

Since 2003, Perry has enjoyed continuous success on the PGA TOUR, capturing 10 tournament victories during that span of time. Despite his dissapointing playoff loss to Angel Cabrera in this year's Masters Tournament, Perry has still won two PGA TOUR titles this year - the FBR Open and the Travelers Championship.

Earlier this year Perry stated that he wants to win 20 PGA TOUR titles during his career. Even though he is already 49-years-old, many of Perry's competitors will certainly not be surprised if Perry accomplishes his goal within the next few years.

Whether Perry wins 10 more PGA TOUR titles or none at all, he will certainly continue to remain a well-respected professional no matter what.

Kenny Perry - 2009 PGA TOUR Season Results

Wins - 2

Runner-ups - 1

Top-10s - 7

Cuts Made - 23/23

Current FedEx Cup Points Standings - 9th

Ken Green Strives Forward

Happier Times - Ken Green, 1988 Canadian Open Champion

Twenty-four years ago, Ken Green finally reached his true potential when he captured the 1985 Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Michigan. The victory was his first on the PGA TOUR, a win which had been widely anticipated by both Green and his family, along with his fellow PGA TOUR competitors. A member of the PGA TOUR since 1980, Green's Buick Open victory propelled him to further worldwide successes as he eventually captured four more PGA TOUR victories during the next four seasons, along with three other tournament wins overseas.

Fast forward to 2009. Life has certainly not been as easy for Green in recent years as it typically was back in the 1980s. This past June, Green was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident in Mississippi. The accident took the lives of Green's brother, William, his girlfriend, Jeanne Hodgin, and his dog, Nip, whom he famously saved from an alligator back in 2003.

While the accident has, of course, stirred various emotions within Green, it also led to the amputation of his lower right leg. Despite losing his leg, Green recently told Golf Digest in an interview, "Somebody might say losing the leg's a 'bad break.' Well, I've had bad breaks; this ain't one of 'em. And I can't complain about bad breaks anymore. I can't believe I'm alive."

Green has lived through other various hardships in the past, including losing his golf game and full-time PGA TOUR membership status multiple times, struggling through two divorces, battling depression, and overcoming debt. As Green has survived so many different hardships throughout the past two decades, he has shown the virtue of perseverance to the fullest extent. There seems to be no doubt that Green is prepared to continue to persevere, even after the most serious, tragic event of his life.

To show that even a serious injury will not keep him away from the game of golf and his goal of further professional golfing successes, Green is already preparing for a return to professional golf. After a long-lasting slump, Green had been playing some of his best golf in years on the Champions Tour. Now, with the amputation of his leg, he is even more prepared to work towards reaching the level of play he once had back in the 1980s, when he was consistently viewed as one of the top golfers in the world.

In his interview with Golf Digest, Green stated his passion for the game and his desire for one of the greatest golfing comebacks of all time. "There's no way I'm gonna to quit. I love the golf. I love it. If I couldn't play golf, I wouldn't want to be on the planet. My intensity is there, and there's no way I'm gonna quit. I am going to play professional golf again."

There is no doubt that Green's fellow competitors, family, friends, and fans are pulling for Green to make a Hogan-esque comeback for the ages. As Green works towards rebuilding his life and golf game, may we all remember the virtues of perseverance and patience, as we continue to 'play the game of life' and strive to perform to the best of our abilities, no matter the circumstances.

Ken Green Victories

PGA TOUR (5)

1985 Buick Open

1986 The International

1988 Canadian Open

1988 Greater Milwaukee Open

1989 KMart Greater Greensboro Open

International (3)

1985 King Hassan Open

1988 Dunlop Phoenix

1990 Hong Kong Open

Steve Stricker's Best Season - 1996 or 2009?

Steve Stricker celebrates 2009 Deutsche Bank Championship victory

Shortly after Steve Stricker captured his seventh PGA TOUR victory this past Sunday, sports journalists around the country quickly stated that Stricker's 2009 PGA TOUR campaign was the greatest in his 16-year career. With three PGA TOUR victories, along with two second-place showings, Stricker has obviously played consistently well this season. However, how does the 2009 season compare to one of Stricker's other past magical seasons?

Even though Stricker has never ranked as high as second in the World Golf Rankings at any other point in his career until he achieved the feat last week, Stricker's 1996 season may arguably remain his most consistent to date, unless he is able to obtain yet another victory this season.

Back in 1996, Steve Stricker was among the hottest golfers on the planet, if not the hottest. In 22 events, Stricker only missed three cuts and obtained seven top-10 finishes, including four third-place finishes, one runner-up, and two victories.

At the Kemper Open, Stricker obtained his first PGA TOUR victory by three shots, defeating the likes of Mark O'Meara, Scott Hoch, and Brad Faxon. A little over a month later, Stricker lapped the field by eight shots in the Motorola Western Open. By the time the 1996 season was completed, Stricker finished fourth on the PGA TOUR money list in only his third full season on the tour.

This season Stricker has not only earned his ranking of number two in the World Golf Rankings, but he has also obtained his current showing of first place in the FedEx Cup playoffs with only two events remaining. Along with his three victories, Stricker has ten top-10s with only three missed cuts in 20 starts, much like he did back in 1996. Various golf fans will continue to argue during the next few weeks over whether Stricker's 1996 season was better than his 2009 campaign or vice versa.

All golf fans and sports journalists alike will agree with the fact that, even thirteen years after his consistent play in 1996, Steve Stricker still has the talent and the drive to continue to perform well under tournament pressure and appears ready to win tournaments for years to come. No one in the golf industry would be surprised if Stricker were to add a major championship victory to his resume next season. The only question is - which one will it be?

Steve Stricker - 1996

Wins - 2, Top-Tens - 7, Money List - fourth

Steve Stricker - 2009

Wins - 3, Top-Tens - 10, FedEx Cup Current Standing - first

Vijay Singh Prepares To Win Second Consecutive Deutsche Bank Championship

Last year, Vijay Singh entered the Deutsche Bank Championship with extra positivity - a win a week earlier at The Barclays, the first event of the FedExCup playoffs, signaled a possible FedExCup victory for Singh. In addition, Singh had also won the World Golf Championships- Bridgestone Inviational earlier in the season.

This year, as Singh returns to Norton, Massachusetts for his defense of the Deutsche Bank Championship, he will arrive with less positive vibes. Currently, Singh is winless during the 2009 season and hoping to end that streak this week as he has won at least one tournament every season since 2002. While he still has opportunities to capture at least one victory this season, Singh knows that the end of the 2009 PGA TOUR season is quickly approaching.

Singh certainly does have various memories from his past performances in the Deutsche Bank that will help him confidently approach his first round tomorrow. Back in 2004, during the second event of the tournament's history, Singh played head-to-head against Tiger Woods and defeated him by three strokes in order to obtain the number-one world ranking in golf - a feat that very few people ever imagined a golfer accomplishing in this era, unless that golfer was Woods himself.

With two wins during the Deutsche Bank Championship's six-year history, Singh should certainly be one of the pre-tournament favorites this week. While he has struggled as of late, Singh has shown in the past that he can always create a magical performance on TPC Boston. As long as his putter cooperates, there is no reason why Singh will not leave on Sunday without another trophy.

Vijay Singh's 2009 Season

Best Finish: T-6, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

Top 10's - 3

Current FedExCup Standings - 78th (647 points)