2003 Masters champion Mike Weir has been nominated as Golfer of the Year for the annual ESPY awards broadcast on ESPN. Weir along with four other golfers, including Tiger Woods have been nominated for the award.
Cougar fans have the opportunity to vote for Weir by accessing the awards ballot on espn.com.
Voting ends July 9, and the presentation of the awards will be broadcast on July 18 at 7 p.m. MT on ESPN.
The following is an outline of the ESPY awards:
NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR 12th ANNUAL ESPY AWARDS
Armstrong, Taurasi, Bonds, Brady, Mickelson, McKeon, Pistons Among Nominees;
Fans To Determine All Winners; ESPN To Televise Awards July 18
Cycling star Lance Armstrong will look to repeat as Best Male Athlete, while a new Best Female Athlete will be crowned at the 2004 ESPY Awards, televised from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre on ESPN Sunday, July 18 at 9 p.m. ET (four days after taking place on Wednesday, July 14). Nominees were announced for all 36 categories, which for the first time will be voted on completely by fans. Voting has begun at www.espn.com and will continue through July 9. Winners will be announced on the telecast.
The 12th annual ESPY Awards Presented by GMC and Under Armour will gather sports and entertainment celebrities to recognize top achievements, relive memorable moments and salute the best performers. Actor/comedian Jamie Foxx will host. The awards include 19 cross-cutters categories -- which pit athletes from different sports against each other -- as well as 17 individual sport categories.
Several cross-cutter candidates are related to some of the year's top champions and Best Team nominees: the Patriots, Marlins, Pistons, Lightning, UConn Men's and Women's Basketball.
Competing against Armstrong for Best Male Athlete are Barry Bonds, who Armstrong edged out last year, as well as Tom Brady, Kevin Garnett and Peyton Manning. For Best Female, tennis star Justine Henin-Hardenne may become the third straight tennis star to win the award (2002: Venus Williams, 2003: Serena Williams). She will compete against Annika Sorenstam and Diana Taurasi, who were both nominated in the category last year.
Also during the ESPY Awards, the Arthur Ashe Courage Award is presented annually to individuals whose contributions transcend sports. This year's honor will go to Liberian-born UNICEF Ambassador George Weah, Africa's all-time greatest soccer star who has, at great risk, worked tirelessly to help his war-torn country.
FUN FACTS ABOUT 2004 ESPY AWARD NOMINEES
-UConn vs. UConn: The University of Connecticut Men's and Women's Basketball teams are both nominated for Best Team, competing against the Detroit Pistons, Florida Marlins, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Lightning. In addition to her Best Female Athlete nomination, former UConn star Diana Taurasi is nominated for Best Female College Athlete, while coach Geno Auriemma is a finalist for Best Coach/Manager. Connecticut men's hoops star Emeka Okafor is among the nominees for Best Male College Athlete.
-High School Hysteria: De La Salle High School football coach Bob Ladouceur, who led his team to a perfect season which was part of a 151-game winning streak, is a finalist for Best Coach/Manager, along with Auriemma, Bill Belichick (Patriots), Larry Brown (Pistons) and Jack McKeon (Marlins).
-Green Jacket And An ESPY Award?: After winning his first Grand Slam title at the 2004 Masters, golfer Phil Mickelson garnered three ESPY Award nominations. In Best Championship Performance, he is nominated along with three team stars -- Josh Beckett (Marlins), Tom Brady (Patriots) and Brad Richards (Lightning). In Best Moment, Mickelson is competing with Aaron Boone's ALCS Game 7 home run, Brett Favre's courageous performance one day after his father passed away and Stanford's buzzer-beater against Arizona. Mickelson is also a finalist for Best Male Golfer.
-New - Best Upset, Could It Be A Horse?: The new category, Best Upset, features individual and team nominees: Belmont winner Birdstone, boxer Antonio Tarver, the Detroit Pistons and the Florida Marlins.
-Who Broke Through? Adu, Wie, LeBron, Carmelo or Jake?: Teenage soccer sensation Freddy Adu will compete for Best Breakthrough against teenage golf star Michelle Wie, return nominee LeBron James, Nuggets' star Carmelo Anthony and Panthers' QB Jake Delhomme.
-The Game Of The Year: Best Game nominees range from a Little League World Series epic between Saugus, Mass. and Richmond, Tex. to the Patriots-Panthers Super Bowl to ALCS Game 7 (Red Sox/Yankees) to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament classic between St. Joseph's and Oklahoma State.
-Reel Classic: Best Sports Movie returns for its third year and the nominated films depict a wide range of genres: Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius, DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, Miracle, Radio and Seabiscuit.
-Amazing Comebacks: Teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton, a victim of a shark attack, is one of four amazing comeback stories nominated in Best Comeback. Other candidates are golfer John Daly, who captured his first PGA title in nearly a decade, and two college football players -- San Jose State's Neil Parry and Oklahoma's Jason White.
-Individual Sport Repeats?: Of the 17 individual sport categories, more than half of last year's winners are nominated again. The following nine winners are looking to repeat: Barry Bonds (MLB), Tim Duncan (NBA), Lisa Leslie (WNBA), Walter Ray Williams Jr. (Bowler), Annika Sorenstam (Female Golfer), Tiger Woods (Male Golfer), Serena Williams (Female Tennis), Andre Agassi (Male Tennis) and Gail Devers (Female Track and Field).
The complete list of 2004 ESPY Award nominees follows.
2004 ESPY AWARD NOMINEES
ALL WINNERS DETERMINED THROUGH FAN VOTING AT ESPN.COM (Through July 9)
CROSS-CUTTER CATEGORY NOMINEES
BEST FEMALE ATHLETE
Justine Henin-Hardenne, Tennis
Annika Sorenstam, Golf
Diana Taurasi, Connecticut Basketball
BEST MALE ATHLETE
Lance Armstrong, Cycling
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
BEST TEAM
Connecticut Men's Basketball
Connecticut Women's Basketball
Detroit Pistons
Florida Marlins
New England Patriots
Tampa Bay Lightning
BEST COACH/MANAGER
Geno Auriemma, Connecticut Women's Basketball
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
Larry Brown, Detroit Pistons
Bob Ladouceur, De La Salle High School Football
Jack McKeon, Florida Marlins
BEST COMEBACK
John Daly, Golf
Bethany Hamilton, Surfing
Neil Parry, San Jose State Football
Jason White, Oklahoma Football
BEST UPSET (New)
Birdstone
Detroit Pistons
Florida Marlins
Antonio Tarver
BEST BREAKTHROUGH
Freddy Adu, DC United
Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Michelle Wie, Golf
BEST GAME
NCAA Regional Final: St. Joseph's-Oklahoma State
ALCS Game 7: Red Sox-Yankees
Super Bowl: Patriots-Panthers
LLWS U.S. Semis: Saugus (Mass.)-Richmond (Tex.)
BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
John Gagliardi, St. John's (Minn.) Football -- Most Coaching Victories
Eric Gagne, Los Angeles Dodgers -- 55 Straight Saves In One Season
Jamal Lewis, Baltimore Ravens -- 295 Yards Rushing in a Game
Michael Phelps -- Five World Records at Swimming Championships
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
Josh Beckett, Florida Marlins - World Series Game 6
Tom Brady, New England Patriots -- Super Bowl
Phil Mickelson - Masters
Brad Richards, Tampa Bay Lightning -- Stanley Cup
BEST PLAY
Jim Edmonds, Cardinals -- Backhand Leaping Catch
Derek Fisher, Lakers -- Playoff Buzzer Beater vs. Spurs
Dante Hall, Chiefs -- 93-Yard Punt Return Wins Game
New Orleans Saints' Last-Play Laterals Result in TD
BEST SPORTS MOVIE
Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
Miracle
Radio
Seabiscuit
BEST FEMALE COLLEGE ATHLETE
Alana Beard, Duke Basketball
Tara Kirk, Stanford Swimming
Cat Reddick, North Carolina Soccer
Diana Taurasi, Connecticut Basketball
Jessica van der Linden, Florida State Softball
BEST MALE COLLEGE ATHLETE
Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh Football
Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph's Basketball
Emeka Okafor, Connecticut Basketball
Jason White, Oklahoma Football
BEST MOMENT
Aaron Boone, Yankees -- HR Wins ALCS Game 7
Bret Favre, Packers -- 399 Yards, 4 TDs A Day After Father's Death
Phil Mickelson's Putt on 18 To Win the Masters
Stanford Defeats Arizona on Nick Robinson Buzzer-Beater
BEST FEMALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE
Layne Beachley, Surfing
Aleisha Cline, Skiing
Dallas Friday, Wakeboarding
Hannah Teter, Snowboarding
BEST MALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE
Brian Deegan, Moto X
Bucky Lasek, Skateboarding
Ryan Nyquist, Bike Stunt
Chad Reed, Supercross
BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY
Cheri Blauwet, Track & Field
Kyle Maynard, Wrestling
Travis Mohr, Swimming
Ron Williams, Cycling
BEST OUTDOORS SPORTS ATHLETE
Tina Bosworth, Log Rolling
Denny Brauer, Bass Fishing
Mike Iaconelli, Bass Fishing
Gerald Swindle, Bass Fishing
INDIVIDUAL SPORT CATEGORY NOMINEES
BEST MLB PLAYER
Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants
Eric Gagne, Los Angeles Dodgers
Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers
Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
BEST NBA PLAYER
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers
BEST WNBA PLAYER
Swin Cash, Detroit Shock
Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever
Chamique Holdsclaw, Washington Mystics
Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm
Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks
BEST BOWLER
Brad Angelo
Mika Koivuniemi
Walter Ray Williams Jr
Pete Weber
BEST BOXER
Laila Ali
Cory Spinks
Antonio Tarver
Ronald "Winky" Wright
BEST DRIVER
Scott Dixon
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Matt Kenseth
Michael Schumacher
BEST NFL PLAYER
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Priest Holmes, Kansas City Chiefs
Jamal Lewis, Baltimore Ravens
Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
Steve McNair, Tennessee Titans
BEST FEMALE GOLFER
Se Ri Pak
Grace Park
Annika Sorenstam
Michelle Wie
BEST MALE GOLFER
Jim Furyk
Phil Mickelson
Vijay Singh
Mike Weir
Tiger Woods
BEST NHL PLAYER
Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
Brad Richards, Tampa Bay Lightning
Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
BEST JOCKEY
Jerry Bailey
Stewart Elliott
Edgar Prado
Alex Solis
BEST FEMALE SOCCER PLAYER
Mia Hamm, U.S.
Maren Meinert, Germany
Birgit Prinz, Germany
Briana Scurry, U.S.
Abby Wambach, U.S.
BEST MALE SOCCER PLAYER
David Beckham, Real Madrid
Landon Donovan, San Jose Earthquakes
Thierry Henry, Arsenal
Zidane, Real Madrid
BEST FEMALE TENNIS PLAYER
Kim Clijsters
Justine Henin-Hardenne
Serena Williams
BEST MALE TENNIS PLAYER
Andre Agassi
Roger Federer
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Andy Roddick
BEST FEMALE TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE
Hestrie Cloete
Gail Devers
Stacy Dragila
Deena Drossin
BEST MALE TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE
Hicham El Guerrouj
Allen Johnson
Tom Pappas
Tyree Washington
CO-PRESENTING SPONSOR AWARDS
The 2004 ESPY Awards will also include two co-presenting sponsor awards.
GMC PROFESSIONAL GRADE PLAY
Jeremy Roenick, Flyers - Returns After Broken Jaw
Steve McNair, Titans -- Makes Playoffs Despite Injuries
Ivan Rodriguez, Marlins - Play at Plate Sends Marlins to NLCS
Annika Sorenstam - Approach Shot Over Trees Leads to LPGA Championship
UNDER ARMOUR UNDENIABLE PERFORMANCE AWARD
Roger Clemens, Astros - Starting Season 9-0
Brett Favre, Packers - 399 Yards, A Day After Father's Death
Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves -- Game 7 Playoffs vs. Sac.
Michael Phelps - Five World Records at Swimming Champ.