Speaker after speaker, including Tom Watson (Stats | Bio) , asked the gathering at the annual Golf Writers Association of America Awards Dinner on Wednesday night to think of their absent friend, Bruce Edwards, with a smile, not a long face.

It wasn't easy for most. Ed-wards, Watson's regular caddie for most of the past 30 years, is in the final stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an incurable illness better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Edwards, 49, hoped to attend the awards dinner to accept the Ben Hogan Award, but experienced a setback Friday at his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and had to change his plans. His father, Dr. Jay Edwards, accepted the award on his son's behalf.

The Ben Hogan Award is given to an individual who has continued to be active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness.

Edwards, who was diagnosed with ALS on Jan. 15, 2003, worked all last season for Watson, who was honored as the Champions Tour Player of the Year at the awards banquet. Watson also won the Charlie Bartlett Award for his donations and work toward finding a cure for ALS.

"I want to thank Bruce for being there in such good spirits, even though he's dying, and keeping that wonderful, wonderful attitude up," Watson said. "That's why we love him. That's why this is such a special award tonight for Bruce."

The Watson-Edwards team won two tournaments, both of them Champions Tour majors, and had five runner-up finishes in 2003. The first victory was the Senior British Open, but Edwards missed it; he wasn't physically able to make the overseas trip. Later in the season, Watson won his other major, the Jeld-Wen Tradition, with Edwards by his side.

"I had a bittersweet year last year; that's very simple," Watson said.

"I had a good year on the golf course with Bruce on my bag. We had some good times and some good breaks. My putting started coming around in the middle of the summer for some reason. I think I knew why."

Edwards, who can no longer speak, last worked for Watson at the UBS Cup in St. Simons Island, Ga., in mid-November.

Edwards and his generation of caddies, many of whom attended the awards banquet, helped revolutionize the art of caddying, making it a true profession.

"Jim McKay, who has been Phil Mickelson (Stats | Bio) 's caddie for 12 years, says Bruce is the Arnold Palmer (Stats | Bio) of caddies," author John Feinstein said at the banquet.

Feinstein spent time with Edwards while researching Caddy for Life, a book on Edwards, which was recently released.

"Courage is a word used a lot in sports," Feinstein said. "To me, courage is getting up in the morning every day to face a battle that you know you can't win. And getting up every day to face that battle without ever losing a little bit of your sense of humor, dignity, grace or your caring for people.

"Bruce would go out and lift the spirits of others," Feinstein said.

"I can't tell you how many times in the last year people came up to talk to Bruce and start to lose it because of the situation. And there was Bruce putting their arms around him and telling a joke or making a wisecrack or telling them not to feel bad for him. He'd say, 'I'll deal with it.'"

Reach David Westin at 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.