Four-time PGA TOUR winner Notah Begay III receives the 2026 Payne Stewart Award after helping more than 80,000 Native American youths and families.
Notah Begay III built an impressive PGA TOUR career, but his most meaningful scorecard has never been measured in birdies.
The four-time TOUR winner, longtime broadcaster and founder of the NB3 Foundation has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Payne Stewart Award, one of professional golf’s most respected honors.
The award celebrates sportsmanship, character and a commitment to improving the lives of others.
Begay will be recognized Aug. 25 during TOUR Championship week in Atlanta, with the ceremony airing on Golf Channel.
The honor feels especially fitting for a player whose influence has grown long after his final competitive rounds.
Begay won twice in 1999 and twice again in 2000, becoming one of the game’s most recognizable players at the start of the new millennium.
Before turning professional, he earned first-team All-America honors at Stanford and helped the Cardinal capture the 1994 NCAA championship.
But Begay’s golf résumé only tells part of the story.
Since launching the NB3 Foundation in 2005, he has made Native American youth health and opportunity the center of his mission.
The organization has served more than 80,000 young people and family members through programs involving exercise, nutrition, leadership development and cultural identity.
That isn’t celebrity charity conducted from a distance. It’s personal work tied directly to the communities Begay has represented throughout his life.
The award comes with a $500,000 charitable grant funded by Southern Company. Of that total, $200,000 will go to the Stewart Family Foundation.
Begay selected his own NB3 Foundation to receive another $200,000, while $100,000 will support the Albuquerque Community Foundation and its education, health and economic initiatives in New Mexico.
Begay’s reach also extends into golf development.
His consulting work has helped Tribal communities create golf courses and recreational spaces.
Meanwhile, the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship has become a national stage for young players, including talented golfers who might otherwise struggle to gain exposure.
The award also reconnects Begay with Payne Stewart’s enduring legacy. Stewart won 11 PGA TOUR events and three major championships before his death in 1999.
The TOUR established the honor in 2000 to recognize players who reflect the competitive fire and generosity Stewart brought to the game.
Begay becomes the award’s 29th recipient, joining names such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods’ longtime peers, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Ernie Els and Justin Rose.
He won plenty during his playing career.
But by using golf to create healthier lives and wider opportunities, Notah Begay III has built something far more valuable than a trophy case.
