Former Tennis Mag, Golf Digest Photog to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

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FRISCO, Texas (Jan. 18, 2023) ー The PGA of America named Stephen Szurlej because the third recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Photojournalism. Szurlej and his excellent profession will probably be celebrated on Could 17 in the course of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Nation Membership in Rochester, New York.

The PGA of America established the Lifetime Achievement Award in Photojournalism to acknowledge the very important position that images performs in documenting the wealthy historical past of golf and to rejoice the people who’ve promoted the sport on the highest degree.

“Stephen Szurlej’s extraordinary capability to seize golf’s most memorable moments, athletes and programs by imagery has made an eternal impression on our sport,” stated PGA of America President John Lindert. “Stephen set the usual for golf images by his masterful creative capability and relentless work ethic. On behalf of the PGA of America, I congratulate Stephen for over three many years of excellence in photojournalism.”

Szurlej, 73, served as Senior Workers Photographer for Golf Digest and Tennis Journal for almost 30 years.

“It’s fairly an honor,” stated Szurlej. “By no means would I’ve thought that I might be chosen for this. I’m actually appreciative of the PGA of America.”

Szurlej, who was born and raised in New Jersey and now splits his time between Danbury, Connecticut, and Port St. Lucie, Florida, honed his craft as a sports activities freelance photographer and spent 5 years at a weekly newspaper in Danbury. Whereas with the newspaper, which Szurlej estimates was the second newspaper within the nation to have full shade, he coated New York sports activities groups in addition to native golf and tennis occasions.

Szurlej joined Golf Digest in 1980 and coated golf’s greatest stars. Nearly all of his match motion images appeared in Golf Digest’s sister weekly publication, Golf World. Szurlej additionally shot sequences and different instruction targeted content material for Golf Digest. It was at these one-on-one periods the place he constructed relationships with gamers.

Throughout this time, he additionally labored for Tennis Journal as each publications had been beneath the identical possession. He shot 15 consecutive U.S. Opens for Tennis Journal from 1981 to 1995.

For Szurlej, it’s tough to single out his favourite photos from over 30 years of golf protection. Like many photojournalists, he tends to evaluate himself extra on the misses than the makes.

“It’s just a little bit just like the gamers,” stated Szurlej. “Everyone seems to be so good on the market. It’s so onerous to win week to week. The identical factor is with golf images. There are a variety of nice golf and sports activities photographers. Getting the most effective image, a successful second is basically a variety of onerous work, a variety of effort and generally some luck too.”

One picture that does stand out to Szurlej got here from the ultimate spherical of the 2005 Masters. After following Tiger Woods’ tee shot on the par-3 sixteenth gap, Szurlej positioned himself on the best aspect of the inexperienced so Woods could be chipping in his course.

Szurlej acknowledged the break of the inexperienced and estimated the place Woods would wish to intention his chip to ensure that it to have any likelihood of reaching the outlet.

He determined to face behind the packed gallery and shoot over the patrons’ heads. It was a raffle for Szurlej who knew that if something dramatic occurred not getting an image was a chance. Woods’ chip momentarily held on the sting of the cup earlier than falling in and sending the gang right into a frenzy.

“Arms flew up in entrance of me as I struggled to string the needle and hold my focus level on Tiger,” stated Szurlej. “His response lasted simply a few seconds, nevertheless it appeared longer. I selected the proper place, however was fortunate an outstretched arm was not in my direct line of sight on the time of Tiger’s peak expression. I had a number of frames ruined by raised arms, however solely wanted one.”

Szurlej’s gamble paid off and produced certainly one of golf’s most iconic photos.

All through the second half of Szurlej’s tenure with Golf Digest, he began photographing golf programs all through the USA and the world over together with visits to Tasmania, Korea, Eire, Canada, Scotland, England and Australia.

Certainly one of his favourite assignments was visiting the main championship venues a 12 months upfront.

“I might be there utterly by myself,” stated Szurlej. “That magical time of day with the primary mild within the morning and the final mild on the finish of the day is once I labored.”

Szurlej’s spectacular tenure with Golf Digest concluded in 2010 following 446 tournaments, 104 main championships, 15 nations visited and numerous recollections, a lot of that are centered round working intently with the world’s finest golfers.

“Golfers are most likely the most effective guys to work with in any skilled sport,” stated Szurlej. “They had been actually good to work with. I feel that’s the character of the sport. It breeds a sure respect. That was a very wonderful thing about working in golf.”

Szurlej joins previous winners David Cannon (2022) and Leonard Kamsler (2020) as recipients of the PGA of America’s Lifetime Achievement in Photojournalism Award.