Zyons helps stun Andrade with award
Cumberland native part of surprising golfer with award
Can you keep a secret?
For Mark “Ziggy” Zyons, you could say that he was charged with something that had a Mission Impossible quality to it. A Cumberland native who’s been by Billy Andrade’s side as his caddie for a quarter-century, Zyons remembers being in Dallas this past April for a Champions Tour stop when an old friend approached them with news that turns out was a foreshadowing of what was coming straight down the proverbial fairway.
“Brad Faxon had a list of all the people who had won the [Payne Stewart Award, one of the top honors on the pro golf circuit]. All the past winners vote on it,” said Zyons. “Billy’s name was on the [2022 nomination] list. He [Andrade] was wondering, ‘Brad, why are you showing me this list? My time is done.’”
Fast forward a few weeks later with the commissioner of the Champions Tour connecting with Zyons on the practice putting green.
“He told me that Billy was going to win the Payne Stewart Award,” said Zyons. “We want to surprise him. We need [his wife] Jody’s number. This was all hush-hush.”
The goal of keeping Andrade in the dark took on a life of its own. Each stop on the Champions Tour felt like a dam that was waiting to burst. There was this confidential material that was supposed to be kept under wraps. The hope was that no one would spill the beans before the time came to surprise Andrade with a most-deserving honor.
“Billy kept talking about it, wondering who was going to get it,” said Zyons. “I said I didn’t know and didn’t remember who was on the list [of Payne Stewart nominees].”
PGA Tour officials opted to arrange their schedules around the East Lake Invitational that Andrade puts on with fellow pro golfer Stewart Cink. It’s now early May and Andrade is being asked to make his way to a secluded part of the East Lake Golf Course clubhouse, located in Atlanta.
Zyons wasn’t present in the room when Andrade learned he would be receiving the award whose previous recipients include Faxon, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer. The social media post that was put out on July 13 told the story of a person who was in complete shock.
In the eyes of Zyons, it was mission accomplished.
“He walks in there and sees his wife, his son, and his parents. He thought he was in trouble. He thought he was in third grade and in trouble with the nuns … you can’t do this so we’ve got to bring your parents in,” said Zyons, whose son Zac is an infielder with the Bryant University baseball team.
“It was a shock for Billy, for sure,” Zyons added.
The spirit of the Payne Stewart Award reflects the lives that are touched away from the course. The charitable work performed by Andrade
in conjunction with fellow Rhode Island native Faxon in aiding numerous non-profit groups and agencies through the now-defunct CVS Charity Classic represented the tip of the iceberg when it came to helping others.
“There were smaller groups in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts that benefited … bringing kids to the beach for example. It’s not about putting your name on a building. It’s about activity,” said Zyons, who along with Andrade have a mutual friend who works at the Nina House in Providence.
“It’s programs like that … having a playground at a place where families can get together,” he said.
Andrade will be honored Aug. 23, the Tuesday before the Tour Championship. The site will be the same golf course where a well-kept secret was finally shared.
“He didn’t think he was going to get it,” said Zyons. “It’s a well-deserved honor and long overdue.”