Payne Stewart was a frequent contender through the 1980s and broke through in the majors at the 1989 PGA Championship, and he added two more top titles in the ’90s. Stewart outlasted Scott Simpson in an 18-hole playoff at the 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine, and he drained a 15-foot par to beat Phil Mickelson by a shot in the ’99 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, where Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh also were among final-round contenders.
An extremely popular player known for his knickers, Stewart died later in 1999 in an airplane crash. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.
In his honor, the Payne Stewart Award is presented annually by the PGA Tour to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship.
Stewart would have turned 67 on Jan. 30, 2024.
Here is a look at the golf life of Stewart, and the legacy he has left behind.
Payne Stewart, inducted 2001. (Photo: Adam Schupak/Golfweek)Payne Stewart and Mark Calcavecchia of the United States during the 29th Ryder Cup Matches on…Mark O'Meara and Payne Stewart look on as team captain Dave Stockton pushes Corey Pavin into…US Ryder Cup team members (L to R) Justin Leonard, (kneeling), Steve Pate, Payne Stewart, Phil…Payne Stewart at the 1999 U.S. Open (AFP/Getty Images)A statue of Payne Stewart stands near Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club…Aug 13, 1989; Long Grove, IL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Payne Stewart holds the trophy after winning…Payne Stewart surveys a green. Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY NETWORKA statue of Payne Stewart stands near Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club…Jack Nicklaus, captain of the 1987 U.S. Ryder Cup team, looks over the inscription of the…Payne Stewart during the second round of the 1999 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 2.Payne Stewart reading his putt during the 1996 PGA Championship held at Valhalla Golf Club in…Payne Stewart during the third round of the 1999 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 2.There will be plenty of reminiscing about Payne Stewart when the U.S. Open returns to Pinehurst…Payne Stewart hugs an unidentified bystander after winning the PGA Championship in Hawthorn Woods, Ill., in…Payne Stewart, of Orlando, Fla., watches his ball on the green after hitting from the bunker…Payne Stewart, of Orlando, Fla., holds up the PGA Championship trophy after his come-from-behind vicotory at…Payne Stewart pours champagne over team mate Hale Irwin after victory in the Ryder Cup at…Payne Stewart kisses the winner's trophy after capturing the U.S. Open golf championship at the Pinehurst…Payne Stewart swings on the seventh hole during the final round of the PGA Championship at…Phil Mickelson, right, congratulates Payne Stewart after Stewart won the U.S. Open at the Pinehurst Resort…Payne Stewart, of Orlando, Fla., reacts after making a birdie putt on the second hole during…Payne Stewart reacts to his missed birdie putt on the 13th hole during the U.S. Open…Payne Stewart watches his shot from the trap on the first green in Monday, June 17,…Payne Stewart holds up the winner's trophy after capturing the U.S. Open at Hazeltine in Chaska,…Payne Stewart and Scott Simpson shake hands after completing the final round of the 1991 U.S.…Payne Stewart during the 1990 British Open at St. Andrews.Payne Stewart celebrates his win against Mark James during the 1993 Ryder Cup at the Belfry.Payne Stewart during the 1998 PGA Championships at the Sahalee Country Club.Justin Leonard and Payne Stewart line up a putt during the Ryder Cup at the Brookline…Payne Stewart as he birdies at the 17th hole during the 1989 British Open at Royal…Payne Stewart falls to his knees after missing a chip shot Sept. 26, 1999 at the…Payne Stewart plays from a bunker during the Ryder Cup at the Brookline in 1999.Payne Stewart and Mark O''Meara after winning the Ryder Cup in 1999 at Brookline Country Club.Payne Stewart during the 1991 U.S. Open at the Hazeltine National.Payne Stewart after winning the 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine National.Payne Stewart out of a bunker on the 11th hole during the 1999 Alfred Dunhill Cup…A bridge at Hazeltine National was named in honor of Payne Stewart, the 1991 U.S. Open…Flowers adorn Payne Stewart's parking spot at the Tour Championship in Houston.Walking through the early morning fog on the first tee Oct. 28, 1999, bagpiper Steve Agan…Payne Stewart during the 1999 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.Payne Stewart poses with the winners trophy after the 1999 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.Payne Stewart after winning the 1989 PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes.Payne Stewart talks with Michael Jordan at the 1999 Ryder Cup.William Payne Stewart (Jan. 30, 1957 – Oct. 25, 1999)Payne Stewart reacts to a birdie putt during the 1998 U.S. Open in San Francisco.Payne Stewart reacts to a birdie putt on the 18th hole en route to a 66…Payne Stewart celebrates with a magnum of champagne after the U.S. defeated Europe in the 1993…Payne Stewart lines up a putt during the 1993 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines.Payne Stewart plays from the ninth fairway during the 1991 AT&T Pebble Beach.Payne Stewart during the 1990 British Open at St. Andrews.The Stewarts – Tracey, Payne and 5-year-old Chelsea – with the 1991 U.S. Open trophy.Paul Azinger gestures as he eulogizes Payne Stewart at the First Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla.,…Tom Lehman, left, wipes his eyes as he listens to a bagpiper play "Amazing Grace" while…Payne Stewart during the first round of the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie.Mourners view photos of Payne Stewart during a memorial service Oct. 29, 1999 at the First…
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