Andrade, Faxon earn GWAA honour

PGA TOUR players and close friends Billy Andrade and Brad Faxon have been named the 1999 recipients of the Charles Bartlett Award given by the Golf Writers Association of America.

The award, named for the first secretary of the GWAA, is given to Tour players, male or female, for their contributions to society. Andrade and Faxon will be honoured April 7 at the Annual GWAA Awards Dinner in Augusta, Ga.

Over the past nine years, Andrade and Faxon have raised more than $1.65 million for charities in their home state of Rhode Island through their annual Andrade-Faxon Celebrity Tournament.

The two players grew up in neighbouring towns and in 1992 began hosting a tournament to benefit children's and women's charities in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. They formed Andrade-Faxon Charities for Children in 1994 and have given out more than $1 million in grants.

Faxon, Andrade and Andrade's wife, Jody, select the grants. The 1998 event drew 80 requests and the foundation was able to help 33 charities.

This year's event will be held in early July at Wannamoisett CC in Rumford, R.I.

The 37-year-old Faxon was on the 1995 and 1997 Ryder Cup teams and has won five times in his 16- year career. Andrade, 35, has won five times in 13 years, including back-to-back wins in 1991 at the Kemper Open and Buick Classic. Both men played on the Walker Cup team during their amateur days.

Previous winners of the Bartlett Award are Scott Hoch, Andy North, Betsy King, John Daly, Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper and Patty Berg.

The GWAA, which has more than 800 members, will also honour at the April dinner Players of Year Mark O'Meara, Se Ri Pak and Hale Irwin; William D. Richardson Award winner Judy Rankin; and Ben Hogan Award winner Casey Martin.

TRW