Notah Begay III will be honored with the 2026 Payne Stewart Award prior to the U.S. Open, a recognition that spotlights his work far beyond the playing career that once made him one of the PGA Tour’s most notable names.
The award comes with a straightforward message: Begay’s legacy is now defined as much by service as by scorecards. Through the Notah Begay III Foundation, which is celebrating its 21st anniversary, he has focused on Native American children, community health and leadership, with golf serving as one way to open doors that were often closed in the first place.
From Ladera Golf Course to Stanford
Begay’s path began in Albuquerque, where summers from age nine to 17 were spent at Ladera Golf Course. He rose before sunrise, opened the pro shop, completed chores and then practiced and played. That access mattered. When Begay was 14 years old, he won the Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, a breakthrough that helped lead to a golf scholarship at Stanford University. He became the first in his family to go to college.
That background helps explain why Begay has spoken so openly about representation and responsibility. He has said golf made him a de facto spokesperson for the American Indian people, and he recalled wondering what he could tell young people facing the same obstacles he once did.
A career with highs and hard setbacks
Begay also built a strong professional career. After turning pro, he won four times in a 10-month span on the PGA Tour, a stretch that showed the level of talent he brought to the game. But his career was not defined only by success. Injuries and depression later disrupted and diminished what he had built, and he was also arrested for drunken driving and spent time in a jail cell in an orange jumpsuit.
Those details are part of the reason the Payne Stewart Award fits this moment. The honor is not just about golf accomplishments. It is about character, community and the way a player uses his platform. In Begay’s case, the platform has become a foundation that keeps the focus on access, opportunity and helping Native American youth see a path forward.
What the award means
The Payne Stewart Award is meant to recognize more than athletic achievement, and Begay’s selection reflects how his work has evolved over time. His golf career created the visibility. His foundation work has given that visibility purpose.
Begay once said, “Without Don Zamora, I never make it to the Tour,” a reminder that his journey was shaped by the people who helped him along the way. Now, his own work is helping shape the next generation.
