Stewart, the reigning US Open champion, was cut off in his prime on October 25, 1999, when the Lear 35 private jet in which he was travelling from Orlando and bound for Dallas, lost pressure soon after take-off, almost certainly killing him and another five occupants before it flew on autopilot until it ran out of fuel and crashed in South Dakota.
On this anniversary, the flamboyant Stewart, who was easily identifiable for playing golf in plus fours and wearing the colours of NFL teams, is not just being widely remembered but also acknowledged for his part in shaping the game today through his spirit and sportsmanship that Montgomerie, for one, still appreciates.
Less than a month before his death, Stewart and the Scot were drawn to play each other in the deciding round of singles in the infamous Ryder Cup at Brookline. Amid the mayhem as the US fought back from a four-point overnight deficit to win in an arena that has become known as the bear-pit, Stewart emerged with dignity intact.
“The trouble,” recalled Montgomerie in his autobiography, “had its origins on the first tee, where some of the American players started whipping up the crowds before they drove off. Payne was not among them. He was the perfect gentleman from the start and could not have done more to try to protect me from the afternoon’s events.”
On several occasions, Stewart waded into the crowd to identify trouble-makers to security men.After the flashpoint, when US players danced on the 17th green after Justin Leonard holed what turned out to be the winning putt, even though Jose Maria Olazabal still had a putt to keep the game alive, Montgomerie and Stewart were level playing the final hole.
With 30,000 boisterous fans following, Montgomerie recalls being buffeted as he made his way to the green, where Stewart had played three to Montgomerie’s two and facing a 20-foot putt. “That will do us,” said Stewart, as he picked up both balls and conceded defeat to the dismay of the baying crowd.
Montgomerie has a picture of that moment as a momento and he wrote: “Every time I pull it out, I think back to the moment Payne gave me the match and how fragile life can be.”
That very act demonstrated Stewart’s dim view of the manner of the US victory. It played a big part in returning the Ryder Cup to the still passionate but much more sporting spectacle it is today, and surely he would have gone on to captain the side. At 52, as he would have been now, this could very well have been his time.
He won three major championships and was twice a runner-up in the Open, but his 1999 victory in the US Open at Pinehurst No.2 is the one that is etched on most minds, his pose after holing from 15 feet on the final green immortalised there in a life-size statue.
The quality of the win could hardly have been better given that he held off both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson over the closing holes, and he had words of empathy for runner- up Mickelson.
Stewart held Mickelson’s face in his hands and implored him to take consolation in the child his wife, Amy, was about to deliver. Amanda was born the following day and the now father-of-three has increasingly put store in the family-first philosophy that single-minded and dedicated golfers frequently find difficult to adopt.
Mickelson, who has since won three majors, recalled: “I look back at Payne Stewart and I think about what a great heart he had. It was very touching to me that when he had just had his greatest triumph, or one of the greatest triumphs in his career, he was thinking about somebody else.”
Woods finished third and he, too, looks back fondly. “Payne Stewart’s story is an inspiration to anyone who appreciates the spirit of a competitor,” said the world No.1. “Early in his career he kept falling short of victory, but he had more inside than his critics could imagine, and with hard work he proved himself to be a true champion.”
Stewart was part of a musical group called Jake Trout and the Flounders, also comprising fellow players Peter Jacobsen and Mark Lyle, who played popular songs to golfing lyrics. He might have been good on guitar and harmonica, but his voice left a lot to be desired.
On one occasion, he spontaneously joined in the vocals on stage. “Payne, quit singing,” shouted his wife from the audience. “You’re flat, Payne, you’re flat.” He shouted back: “Shut up, Tracey, I’m having a good time.”
His golf, more often than not, was right on song. He might have had his brash and arrogant moments in his younger days, but he developed an attitude and spirit that is well worth remembering and remains relevant today.
