Golf great Pavin selected as keynote speaker for 2013 banquet

Golf great Pavin selected as keynote speaker for 2013 banquet

Former Ryder Cup captain, participant and U.S. Open winner to return to Colonial

FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 7, 2013) – The Ben Hogan Award Committee has announced that Corey Pavin will serve as the keynote speaker at The Ben Hogan Award banquet at Colonial Country Club on Monday, May 20, 2013.

“The Ben Hogan Award represents the best collegiate amateur player for the year,” Pavin said. “Watching the former winners grow as golfers and men after they received this Ben Hogan Award is a direct result of the award itself. I am honored and humbled to be asked to speak at the 2013 dinner.”

Pavin competed in three Ryder Cups for Team USA (1991, 1993, and 1995) and served as captain of the 2010 squad. The 1991 and 1993 United States teams were victorious, and he also competed on winning Presidents Cup teams in 1994 and 1996. He amassed an 8-5 overall match record in Ryder Cup play.

The owner of 15 career PGA TOUR victories, Pavin’s signature win was a come-from-behind triumph at the 1995 U.S. Open. In addition to his U.S. Open victory, Pavin posted 11 other top-10 finishes at major championships.

Twice Pavin’s name has been etched into Colonial’s Wall of Champions, as he won the tournament in 1985 and again in 1996. The native of Oxnard, Calif., topped the PGA TOUR’s money list in 1991 and spent more than 150 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking between 1986 and 1997.

In addition, he holds the PGA TOUR’s 9-hole scoring record, a remarkable 8-under 26 which he achieved in the first round at the 2006 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, his last win on the circuit. Now a regular on the Champions Tour, Pavin won the Allianz Championship in February of 2012.

As a collegian, Pavin was a two-time first-team All-American at UCLA (1979, 1982) and a member of the 1981 U.S. Walker Cup team.

“We are truly honored to secure Corey as our keynote speaker,” The Ben Hogan Award Committee Co-Chairman Dr. Bill Barnes said. “He has a special place in Colonial Country Club’s history and has always been a tremendous ambassador for the game of golf in the United States.”

The list of previous keynote speakers includes Lance Barrow, Charles Coody, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Lehman, Jim Nantz, Dave Stockton, Pat Summerall, Ken Venturi and Lanny Wadkins.

The most prestigious award in men’s college golf, The Ben Hogan Award is presented annually to the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during the past 12-month period. The Ben Hogan Award Selection Committee represents leaders in professional, amateur and collegiate golf.

–www.TheBenHoganAward.org–