IGA names senior trophy in honor of Weiser golf legend Joe Malay

Longtime Weiser golfer Joe Malay was honored in a special way by the Idaho Golf Association with his name permanently affixed to a golf trophy that stands about 2-feet-tall.
The presentation took place following the IGA State Amateur Championships at BanBury Golf Course in Boise on July 18-20. The Joe Malay Cup was unveiled at the awards dinner and will be given to the IGA senior amateur winner every year.
The IGA dedicated trophies to four individuals who have given their time and effort to the game as part of the association’s 50th anniversary celebration. Malay has been a longtime member of the IGA, and he even won the amateur title in 1986.
In addition to recognizing Malay, the IGA named the state amateur champion trophy in honor of Scott Masingill, another longtime Treasure Valley golfer who has won the state amateur title a record nine times. The trophy is now called the Scott Masingill Cup.
Malay said he was thrilled to have the senior amateur cup named after him. He invited friends and family to share in the moment when the trophy presentation was made by IGA executive director Adam McCormick.
A committee voted to name the state amateur senior trophy in honor of Malay, not only for the many years he has promoted the game of golf but also for all of the volunteer work he does in Weiser, McCormick said.
“We were really excited to do that for Joe,” he said.
McCormick noted that Malay, who just turned 71, has had a pretty accomplished playing career on the links. His home course is Rolling Hills in Weiser, and he continues to play whenever and wherever he can.
Malay did well in the 2019 IGA senior four-ball championship at the Jerome Country Club in June. The championship was closely contested, and it was the team of Jay Sutton and Dan Pickens who came out on top over their final pairing opponents Malay and Randal Cross.
While they lost in the playoffs, Malay said they were first in net scoring and took home the crystal cup.
Last weekend, Malay played in the McCall amateur tournament and won his flight out of more than 300 golfers who entered the event. Malay won the McCall amateur in 1978.
He also received a plaque from the McCall Men’s Golf Association that bestowed lifetime membership and benefits on Malay.
“I felt very privileged and honored that they would do something like that,” he said.
Malay’s lifelong love of the game makes for a long list of accomplishments. He once entered 53 tournaments in a calendar year. He has won 22 state championships, made 18 holes-in-one and qualified for nine USGA championships.
He is a three-time Governor’s Cup winner, a five-time Pacific Northwest Golf Association team member and has 14 wins in various IGA championships. He has been a member of Idaho’s Carter Cup 38 times, with 33 as a player and five times as team captain.
The list of volunteer activities that Malay has participated in is as long as his golf resume. He founded the Idaho Junior Golf Foundation and was a Jefferson Award winner for public service. He was a three-time volunteer of the year as voted on by the Weiser Chamber of Commerce and selected by the Idaho Golf Association as a two-time volunteer of the year.
Malay is also known for founding the Ho Ho Express and each year raises thousands of dollars to help make Christmas for area kids brighter. In 2018, the Ho Ho Express helped out 406 local kids in Weiser and Annex.
At the state amateur championship early this month at BanBury GC, Malay competed in the 54-hole stroke play competition, a total of three rounds in three days. It wasn’t a stroll in the park, he said.
“It was a very long and difficult golf course, especially for seniors,” he said.
He was the oldest golfer on the 18-hole course and Beau Sehr, 12, was the youngest golfer. Despite his vast experience and expertise with a set of golf clubs, the youngster got the better score.
“He beat me by 10 strokes,” Malay said.
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