Payne Stewart died five years ago today. I won't try to say what he meant to me, the game of golf, or the people in his life because I don't know that I could do him justice. Suffice to say that today, five years later, he is still sorely missed.
Truly a sad day. Who can forget the putt he made to win the 1999 US Open. And how much fun he was during the Skins games. At one of those games, everything was quiet as he addressed the ball before his opening tee shot. Suddenly he blurted out that he was playing a Titleist. Supposedly he was announcing the ball he was playing so it could be identified during the course of the round. But the joke was that he would take advantage of an opportunity to shamelessly promote the brand he was getting paid to play. So he had some fun at his own expense, for the amusment of others. Miss that guy.
I didn't follow golf that much when he was playing but I do remember him because of his outfits. Although I wasn't into golf then, I was still saddened by the news of his loss.
I wish I could have met him. He always seemed so confident. I can only wonder what he would have accomplished if he had lived. Who knows how many more majors? He'll always be missed.
He will be missed, he was a great man, great golfer, great character, was a sad and untimely death. The world ranking top-10 would be quite different if he was alive i believe.
I have a Payne Stewart story from a few years back.......Payne and Lanny Watkins were playing together at the Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Michigan and I was following them. Payne had plugged his approach shot in the lip of a greenside bunker with the pin cut very close to the bunker. Lanny had left his approach shot right in front of the green, just off the fringe, but had a simple uphill 50-60 foot chip. Lanny then chunked his chip about 10 feet. The couple hundred people around the green were stunned and completely silent for a second or two, until we heard the sound of one person clapping.....it was Payne!! Lanny looked at Payne, standing in the bunker clapping, and just busted out laughing. I know they were good friends and Payne's good natured ribbing provided a lasting memory.
As a limey, I did not know what to make of Payne Stewart when he first hit the scene.Loud,confident and impossible to ignore were some of the more polite first impressions.Bit like USA in general I thought.
Over the years, the more I learnt about Payne Stewart , the more I admired and liked him. Bit like USA in general.
Everything about him showed that he was a classy human being. Apart from his beautiful golf swing and ability to fight when the pressure was on, he had a humilty that put the game of golf in the right context. At Brookline , he showed he was an example that all people should aspire to.
I am a great fan of USA , and Payne Stewart was a factor. I'm coming over for Xmas ,my sixth holiday in USA , at some stage I'll get into conversation with a local and we'll talk about Payne Sterwart and how we miss him.
October 25th, 2004, 02:00 PM
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