Mark Wagner
Special to ICT
Native golfer, advocate and philanthropist Notah Begay III has been named the 2026 recipient of the Payne Stewart Award, joining a Who’s Who list of golfing legends recognized for their character, charity and sportsmanship.
Begay, 53, who is Diné and of the San Felipe and Isleta Pueblos, is being honored not only for his abilities as a professional golfer but also for his work with the Notah Begay III Foundation, known as NB3, which has provided sports and wellness programs for more than 80,000 Native youth since its inception in 2005.
“This is an incredible honor and one I accept with great humility,” Begay said in a statement after being surprised by Payne’s son Aaron with the news at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club while on the set of NBC Sports, where he works as a golf analyst.
“Payne Stewart represented the very best of our game, not only in how he competed, but in how he lived his life and gave back to others,” Begay said. “To be associated with his legacy is truly special. Golf has given me a platform to serve, and I’ve always believed it’s our responsibility to use that platform to uplift others, especially the next generation.”
The Payne Stewart Award, handed out annually by the Stewart Family Foundation in association with the Professional Golfers’ Association and Southern Company, honors golfers who demonstrate the charitable and forward-looking character Stewart displayed in his short life.
The award will be presented Aug. 25 at the Payne Stewart Award Ceremony as part of the PGA Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The Golf Channel will televise the ceremony as part of its “Golf Central” special.
Jay Garcia, chairman of Santa Ana Golf Club, which hosts the NB3 Foundation, said Begay has had a profound impact on Native youth.
“Our Native American golfers have seen the possibilities and opportunities available to them for a career in golf,” Garcia said. “And that’s thanks to Notah’s achievements over the course of his career. The Notah Begay III Foundation has also been a key factor in exposing young athletes to not only golf but to other sports such as volleyball, cross country, track and field, and soccer, and basketball. The coaching staff not only promote healthy living through physical activity, but they also promote career and educational development initiatives.”
Garcia spoke to ICT on Monday, July 20, the first day of the 7th NB3 Native Youth Golf Tournament at Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico, where dozens of Native youth from around the country ages 10 to 17 had gathered. The winners will have a chance to advance to the NB3 Junior Golf Championship held each November at Koasati Pines, run by the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana.
The award
The Payne Stewart Award is named for the PGA golfer whose 1999 win at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina marked a milestone as his third major championship. But just a few months later, Stewart died in an airplane accident at the age of 42. A year later, the PGA, along with the Stewart family, created the award, which is supported by a $500,000 grant from Southern Company.
The award provides a $300,000 grant to a charity of the winner’s choice, and $200,000 to two charities affiliated with the Stewart family.
Begay’s work with his NB3 Foundation, as well as his golfing career, are examples of the values exhibited by Stewart, officials said. Begay’s commitment to healthy lives and support for young people beyond golf has expanded since the NB3 Foundation was formed. Programs such as The Indigenous Health Model merge traditional knowledge with practices acquired by doing. Begay’s brother, Clint, is director of NB3 Fit, a program that combines soccer, track and field, as well as recreation and wellness programs for as many as 10,000 children each year.
“We have 50-70 kids from tribes across the country that compete for spots in my national championship,” Begay told ICT recently.
Last year was the first time in the history of the NB3 Junior Golf National Championship that a Native American player had won an age division.
“Nora Shelor from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma won the girls 10-11 division,” Begay said. “It was amazing.”
Also a golfer
Along with the NB3 Foundation, Begay is now known for his on-air work on NBC and The Golf Channel. He is also an exceptional golfer. At Stanford University, he was at one time the #1 player on a team that also featured Tiger Woods.
“It’s true,” he told ICT in an interview at the U.S. Open in June. “Until Tiger started kicking my butt.”
Together, they won the 1994 NCAA national championships before Begay — a three time All–American at Stanford — went on to four PGA Tour tournament wins.
Begay’s time on the professional tour was cut short by a back issue, and his transition from the tour led to his establishing the NB3 Foundation. On a recent visit to the Santa Ana Golf Club, the foundation’s Water First truck dominated the parking lot.
Begay is also known for his personal involvement in his work.
At the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in June, ICT found Begay shepherding collegiate golfer Maddison Long, Coeur d’Alene/Navajo, a 19-year-old Division 1 golfer, through the NBC studios. Long attended the U.S. Open as a guest of the Shinnecock Nation, but had met Begay in 2021 through his NB3 elite golf program at the Native Youth Golf Championships at Santa Ana Pueblo.
He was chatty and introduced his protégé to members of the NBC Sports team, before treating her to lunch.
“These folks could get you a job right now,” Begay said.
That Begay would invite a young golfer for a tour and lunch at the NBC tent is not surprising. Along with Long, the list of young Native golf talents that have been supported by NB3 include Gabby Barker, Aidan Thomas, and Peyton “Beans” Factor, a standout Chickasaw talent who is going into her second year as a scholarship athlete at Manhattan University.
“They supported her golf and her moral aspirations,” Sara Factor, Beans’ mother, said of the NB3. “When Beans would go to the Native tournaments, they even had her pictures up at different areas. The initial year she went, Notah was there and people were lined up to take pictures with him and next thing you know a little boy asked to take a picture with her.”
Talon Gover is another young collegiate golfer who sees Begay as a champion of golf, aspirations, and Native culture. Gover is a rising junior at Fort Lewis University in Durango, Colorado.
“Notah comes into my head because he’s the biggest figure in Native America when it comes to professional golf,” Talon said. “I want to achieve that as well. That’s the goal. It’s hard and I know it’s hard. Part of the journey is the beauty of the journey. . . pushing myself to achieve something of that length would be cool. Not only for me. I want to inspire other Native youth and give them the opportunities I had.”
Garcia, chairman at the Santa Ana Golf Club, has seen the evolution of the NB3 Foundation, which started out addressing golf and soccer but which has since expanded into other sports and wellness programs.
“The foundation has provided important yet fun programming to our youth in the overall values of choosing healthy lifestyles via smart choices in food, drink and sport,” he said. “Many athletes have started their athletics with the foundation and have progressed to successful careers in high school, college and beyond. Santa Ana Pueblo is proud to be a partner with the NB3 Foundation.”
