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FRISCO, Texas ー The PGA of America today named the late Jeff Babineau as the 2026 recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. Babineau’s decorated career and lasting legacy will be celebrated April 8 at the 52nd annual ISPS Handa GWAA Awards Dinner in Augusta, Georgia.
Babineau, the 35th recipient of the award, passed away in December 2024 at the age of 62. His death was preceded by a distinguished career that inspired an outpouring of recognition in his memory.
“Jeff Babineau was in a class of his own,” said Nathan Charnes, PGA of America Vice President. “As a highly skilled writer and editor, Jeff covered the game of golf with the utmost professionalism and expertise. His enduring impact extends far beyond his published work as he was a dedicated and compassionate mentor to countless journalists learning the profession. While Jeff’s friendly presence and best-in-class coverage is missed throughout media centers across the country, his legacy will continue to be felt for years to come.”
Established in 1991, the PGA of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism recognizes members of the media for their steadfast promotion of golf. Babineau’s family, including wife, Jane, and sons Derek (Bisgounis), Keith (Bisgounis) and Luke will accept the award in his honor.
“It’s been eye-opening for me and the whole family just to see how loved and respected he was in the industry,” said Jane Babineau. “We knew how loved he was as a father and a husband and a friend, but now we get to see the other side of it. He loved his job. He loved the people that he worked with. He was well respected and he respected everybody”
Born in Dennis, Massachusetts, Babineau’s passion for golf began at a young age. He grew up around the game, playing with his dad, Ernest, and friends in the area. Babineau spent many years at Dennis Pines Golf Course, including working for a time alongside Jane, his high school classmate and future wife.
He relocated to Florida to study journalism at Florida Southern before landing jobs at the Lakeland Ledger and Cape Cod Times. Babineau’s career took off in 1986 when he joined the Orlando Sentinel, covering golf, NHL, NFL and college sports. “Babs” transitioned to Orlando-based Golfweek in 1998, serving as a senior writer and deputy editor before his promotion to editor in 2008. He departed Golfweek in 2017 and later undertook numerous freelance assignments, including as a pool reporter at the PGA of America’s major championships. Additionally, Babineau served as president of the Golf Writers Association of America from 2015-17 and was GWAA secretary at the time of his passing.
Babineau covered hundreds of tournaments on the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour, as well as over 100 major championships and 12 Ryder Cups.
“There are a couple of things that stand out with his career,” remembers Jane. “He came home from work one day and said ‘my life’s about to change’ and it was because Tiger Woods just declared his hometown as Orlando. That was a big thing. When Payne Stewart died, he was an emotional wreck about that. He was granted permission to go over to, I don’t know if it was to Payne’s house or his property and report on it. That kind of thing hit him hard.”
Babineau’s legacy is defined by much more than his accomplishments as a writer and editor. His deepest influence was felt as a devoted husband, father, friend and mentor.
In 1997, Jane reunited with Jeff in Florida and they married two years later. He helped raise Keith and Derek while son Luke was born in 2001. Babineau and his family created countless memories on the golf course, including annual birthday rounds with Luke in Orlando, trips with Luke to French Lick in Indiana and American Dunes in Michigan, as well as adventures with Keith and Derek at The Open Championship in Scotland and Bandon Dunes in Oregon.
“I have so many special golf memories with my dad from the time I was little,” said Luke. “My golf game was finally catching up to him and I’d be giving him some strokes back towards the end.”
In 2008, longtime golf journalist Jim McCabe departed the Boston Globe for Golfweek after over 23 years at the newspaper. It was a “gut-wrenching” decision, but McCabe was motivated by one primary factor: the chance to work for Babineau.
“What struck me with us is you want to have good friends in life,” said McCabe. “You’ve got to work and you want to have a good boss. When I went to Golfweek, I had a good friend as a boss. How cool is that? It’s not often that you look at someone as a mentor who is younger than you. He was younger than I was, but he was more experienced in the journalism world as a writer.”
McCabe was routinely amazed at Babineau’s relentless work ethic, passion for comprehensive reporting and willingness to go the extra mile on every story.
“I never considered myself lazy or lacking a work ethic,” said McCabe. “I was high on both ends there, but I couldn’t match him. He was easy to work for. He had that way about him. He could bring out the best in you because he always brought out the best in himself.”
“He made time that he really didn’t have for anyone in the press who needed guidance,” said Doug Ferguson of The Associated Press. “More than being an absolute rock, he was an inspiration. And above all, everyone considered him a close friend because he made them feel that way.
“There are a lot of references to coaching trees in the NFL and college football. I always think of the enormous reach of Babs. The people he hired or mentored during his time at Golfweek are all over our industry now. That might be as great a legacy as any.”
For the Babineau family, pride in Jeff’s career is matched only by their pride in the person he was and the genuine kindness he showed to everyone around him.
“It means everything to us,” said Luke. “My dad was genuinely loved and respected by everyone he met and left a lasting impression on countless lives. For him to receive this award is super-special and he was so very well deserving of this.”
About PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals who love the game, are expert coaches, operators and business leaders, and work daily to drive interest, inclusion and participation in the sport. The PGA of America owns and operates numerous championships and events, including major championships for men, women, seniors and the Ryder Cup, one of the world’s foremost sporting events. For more information, visit PGA.com and follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Media Contact
Greg Dillard, PGA of America, gdillard@pgahq.com
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