Jaime Diaz

Class

1975
Honors

Men's Golf (1971-1975)

Major: English
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Career Highlights: Four-time letter winner at USF; Was often the #1 golfer in the line-up

Biography: Diaz played golf for four years on the Hilltop. The lowest 18-hole score he shot in a college match at USF during tournament play occurred twice when he broke 80, and shot in the high 70's. At that time (1971-1975) being able to break 80 was quite an accomplishment on the Hilltop. Diaz was a good enough golfer to have a place on the starting five, and often teed off as the #1 golfer.

Why Diaz Chose USF: "My father played soccer at USF and earned All-American honors on a team that lost the 1952 national championship game. I was born in San Francisco and grew up in the East Bay, and USF always held a special place in our family. I had the good fortune to grow up in a time when it was still affordable to attend a private university, and felt lucky every day of my four years at USF."

Favorite USF Memories: "Practices were only twice a week and great fun, as were our matches, even when we got overwhelmed by top teams like Stanford. We occasionally played classic courses like Olympic Club or Los Angeles County Club, but most of our practices and matches were on public tracks like Sharp Park in Pacifica or San Geronimo in San Rafael that were appropriate venues for our program."

The USF Student-Athlete Experience: ""A more demanding program which would have required a lot more practice and travel time which was a blessing for me. I loved playing college golf, but in a way that still allowed me to devote enough attention to academics, the satisfying balance of mind and body. I had the privilege of being around some truly elite athletes, like the late Phil Smith, and I enjoyed the the sense of connection to our school's great athletic tradition."

Life After USF: After USF, Diaz began a career in journalism, first as what was called a "copy boy" in the newsroom of the Oakland Tribune, and he then became a reporter at the Sacramento Bee. Since 1983, Diaz has covered mostly golf in various roles for Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, Golf Digest, Golf World and the Golf Channel. In 2012, he was named the recipient of the 2012 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism.

"Jaime Diaz has a gift in providing us with many of the finest, thought-provoking profiles of our industry," said PGA of America President Allen Wronowski. "We may think that we know all that there is to know about golf's top performers, until Jaime opens another door that causes us to pause and reflect upon the demands of this wonderful game. For Jaime's limitless passion for golf, for his talent to call our attention to the story-behind-the-story that is a great service to golf, we are very proud to present him this award."

Diaz is the 23rd recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. Beginning with the 1985 U.S. Open, Diaz has covered more than 100 major championships. He has been awarded first place six times in the Golf Writers Association of America's Annual Writing Contest (PGA.com).

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