By Pauline Vu
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Jim Murray, who wasn’t known as the best golfer himself,
often referred to golfers in his columns as “hackers.”
Golf, however, was a common topic for the late L.A. Times
columnist.
So it is only fitting that it is a golf tournament that benefits
the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation.
“He loved golf and he loved thoroughbred racing,”
his wife Linda McCoy-Murray said. “Those had to be his
favorite sports to write about.”
The Jim Murray Memorial Golf Classic, which starts Monday, Aug.
21 at 9:30 a.m. at Lakeside Golf Club, is a benefit tournament that
raises scholarship money for its annual Murray Scholars.
The tournament will include celebrities such as Jack Lemmon and
Rick Dees, as well as representatives from each of the local
professional sports teams, such as Clippers general manager Elgin
Baylor.
Nine months after her husband passed away on Aug. 16, 1998,
McCoy-Murray created the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation to help
uphold his legacy. She decided to hold a golf tournament because of
Jim’s love of the sport. But after that, McCoy-Murray
didn’t know what to do with the money raised.
“That’s when I came up with the idea of the
scholarships,” she said.
A nationwide essay contest was held, and contestants wrote on
whether or not athletes should also be considered role models. The
essays were then judged by a panel of eight sportswriters.
“Jim would be extremely proud of the road we have taken to
help young journalism students on their journey to become great
writers,” McCoy-Murray said.
The scholarship winners, who had to be second-year students at
one of the top 15 journalism schools in the nation, won $5,000
each, and will be honored at an awards dinner after the golf
tournament.
This year’s winners are David Longolucco of St.
Bonaventure University, Katie Tiernan of the University of
Missouri, Anitra Budd of the University of Minnesota, Ryan Pearson
of USC, Justin Doom of Arizona State, Emily Gresh of Trinity
College (Murray’s alma mater, where a Murray scholar will be
picked each year), and Adam Karon of UCLA.
“I was surprised when Mrs. Murray called to tell me I won.
I know there were some very qualified applicants and I was
fortunate to be chosen,” Karon said.
Last year Karon wrote for the Daily Bruin at UCLA, where there
is no journalism department.
“I have read Jim Murray before and I agree with most of
the sports world that he is the best of all time,” Karon
added. “No one else captured the essence of the people within
sports like Mr. Murray.”
Murray won Sportswriter of the Year 12 times in 14 years, won
the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1990, and was a co-founder of
Sports Illustrated in 1954. He was one of the most read and
well-known sports columnists in the nation. He started with the
L.A. Times in 1961 and remained there until he passed away in
1998.
“It is quite an honor,” Karon said of the award.
“Having Mr. Murray’s name attached to the award makes
it even sweeter.”