EGCOA Award 2011

Jaime Ortiz-Patiño 

For well over 30 years Don Jaime Ortiz-Patiño has been a major advocate for golf and environmental awareness and action in world golf. He brought the Ryder Cup for the first time to the continent in 1997 resulting in an unforgettable victory for Europe. Bringing the Ryder Cup to Spain had a huge impact on Spain as a Golf destination and also made the Ryder Cup more European than ever before.

Don Jaime was also at the heart of the instigation of the EGA Ecology Unit in the early 1990's, and he has been a driving force in persuading the European Tour, Ryder Cup Europe, the PGAs of Europe, the GCSAA and the USGA to invest in the subject and to support environmental programmes.

He led by example in 1997 by proactively encouraging the ‘greening' of the 1997 Ryder Cup and by hosting then EU President Jacque Santer - a personal effort that for the first time ever, demonstrated the real value of environmental initiatives to the game of golf. That work has since multiplied out across other European Tour events, the US Open, the Open and this year's Ryder Cup in Wales.

Two years later, in 1999, he hosted what in retrospect can be seen to be one of the most significant milestone events in golf. He brought together the world's leading golf environment technicians, in front of the R&A, the USGA, WWF, UNEP and the European Union.

The event led to the signing of The Valderrama Declaration - a major statement of intent on the part of golf and an expression of positive support from big government and big environment.

Through Jimmy's business connections, and underwritten at his own expense, enough funding was put in place recruit a new Executive Director to the Committed to Green Foundation, Jonathan Smith.

In those 5 years since 2005, GEO has become the world's leading authority on sustainability in golf, and by far the most dynamic body engaged in this field, and quite possibly the wider field of sport and environment.

Jimmy is personally responsible for generating a unique legacy. He has, at times single-handed, created the world's first ‘sport sector dedicated' sustainability NGO.