JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sam Kouvaris, who served as News4JAX’s sports director for 37 years, was honored Wednesday at Augusta for his four decades of covering The Masters.
Kouvaris was one of five people honored this year with a plaque. The milestone of the Masters Major Achievement Award has only been reached by 31 members of the media.
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As first reported by Jacksonville.com, Kouvaris got his congratulatory letter in the mail back in 2020 — notifying him that he would be recognized that April. But due to the pandemic, which postponed The Masters and canceled the awards dinner, the wait would last two years.
The first Masters that Kouvaris covered was in 1979, when he was working in Charleston, South Carolina as the sports director at the ABC affiliate, WCBD. His next job was at WJXT, where he spent the next 37 years.
He was working for the Florida Times Union when he covered his 40th Masters.
The permanent plaque in the Masters media center reads: “Your vivid descriptions, accurate reporting and heartfelt love of golf and the individuals who play the game will serve as an inspiration for all time. These accounts from Augusta National have helped make the Masters one of the great sporting traditions in the world.”
He also gets his own parking spot in the press lot at Augusta National.