in today's Shreveport Times. Shreveport's PGA Tour stars Hal Sutton and David Toms rushed to the aid of victims from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and were honored for their efforts. The Golf Writers Association of America awarded Toms, Sutton and fellow Louisianan Kelly Gibson with the Charlie Bartlett Award. The honor, named for the first secretary of the GWAA, is given to a professional golfer for his/her unselfish contributions to the betterment of society. Toms raised more than $1.5 million through the David Toms Foundation to aid victims from the hurricanes. Keeping his foundation's mission in mind, Toms focused on families with children and helped relocate more than 600 families into furnished apartments and houses. "I didn't want any recognition for it," Toms said. "I was trying to find people we could house and get them out of the shelters because that's a bad situation." Sutton, who was unavailable for comment Tuesday, gave $65,000 -- through the Hal Sutton Foundation -- to local schools to buy textbooks and other school supplies for those displaced by the storms. Gibson, a former LSU golfer from New Orleans, raised more than $400,000 to help feed more than 50,000 first-responders. Past winners of the award include golfing greats such as Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson.
