Golf Digest senior writer Jaime Diaz has been named the recipient of the 2012 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. The San Francisco native, 58, will be honored April 4 at the 40th Golf Writers Association of America Annual Spring Dinner and Awards ceremony at Savannah Rapids Pavilion in Augusta, Ga.
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We love Jaime here at AWITP. First we made him laugh when we grilled Fred Couples like a swordfish at the 2006 U.S. Open.
“This should be interesting,” he chuckled to Tim Rosaforte. “Jay’s gonna chat up Boom-boom. Let’s see what happens:)” What happened was hilarious:)
Then I made him spit up soda through his nose at the U.S. Open last year. He sat down on my right at a table in the lunch room, and then we were joined by five British golf writers. Well all of a sudden, they start grinning, saying how much I made them laugh with something I wrote about Tiger.
Let’s just say…it was colorful.
That did it! Jaime’s eyebrows hit the ceiling and he turned beet-red holding in his laughter.
One thing about the PGA of America: they know how to pick a super human being as well as a great writer. Just look at this list of past winners. Looks like a Hall of Fame group to me…
PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism Recipients
1991 Dick Taylor
1992 Herbert Warren Wind
1993 Jim Murray
1994 Frank Chirkinian/Bob Green
1995 Dan Jenkins
1996 Furman Bisher
1997 Jack Whitaker
1998 Dave Anderson
1999 Ken Venturi
2000 Jim McKay
2001 Kaye Kessler
2002 Nick Seitz
2003 Renton Laidlaw
2004 Bob Verdi
2005 Al Barkow
2006 Ron Green Sr.
2007 Jack Berry
2008 Marino Parascenzo
2009 Art Spander
2010 Dave Kindred
2011 Jerry Tarde
2012 Jaime Diaz
So congratulations, Jaime. You richly deserve it. The only thing that surpasses your talent as a writer…is what a flat-out great guy you are.
Enjoy your night at Augusta. You richly deserve it.
