Every year the Firestone Country Club, in conjunction with the FirstEnergy Foundation and the PGA Tour, honors a person who has fostered the ideals of golf on an international level and whose concern for others extends beyond the golf course.
For 2021, Former President George W. Bush has been named the Ambassador of Golf Award recipient.
“The PGA TOUR is thrilled to honor the president with the Ambassador of Golf Award in 2021,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “In the longtime tradition of the Bush family, President Bush has used his platform to unify and shine a light on the impact the game of golf can have on our society through his tremendous work as honorary chairman of the First Tee and fostering the growth and worldwide goodwill of the Presidents Cup.”
G.W. Bush has served as the Honorary Chair of the First Tee since 2012. He has provided leadership and support for the First Tee’s mission to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.
In 2011, he founded the Bush Institute’s Warrior Open for United States military personnel seriously wounded or injured since September 11, 2001.
The Bush family name has long been synonymous with the game of golf, dating back to the former President’s great grandfather, George H. Walker, who served as the President of the USGA in 1920 and is the namesake for the Walker Cup, which showcases top amateurs from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland in a team competition every other year. His grandfather, Prescott Bush, served as USGA President in 1935.
George H.W. Bush was also a recipient of the Ambassador of Golf Award in 1994. They become the first father-son duo to be named Award honorees in its 39-year history.