Payne Stewart

Lore & Background

Stewart was born and raised in Springfield, Missouri. He attended Greenwood Laboratory School and played collegiate golf at Southern Methodist University. He turned professional in 1979 and earned his PGA Tour card in 1981. Stewart won his first major at the 1989 PGA Championship, his second at the 1991 U.S. Open, and his third at the 1999 U.S. Open. He was known for his distinctive clothing, including ivy caps and patterned pants, and for his fluid golf swing.

In Their Own Story

The 18th green at Augusta, 1990. The afternoon light is going amber, and the crowd noise has shifted from chatter to a low, sustained hum. Payne Stewart steps up to the ball, a few feet from the hole, and the world narrows to the line he sees only he can see. He doesn't look at the scoreboard. He doesn't look at the gallery. He sets his putter down, taps the ball once with the face, and rolls it. It drops. The roar that follows is not just for the putt; it is for the man who made a 25-footer look like a ritual, who played every round like the last, who carried the whole weight of South Dakota's open sky in his shoulders. He walks off the green with his hands in his pockets, already thinking about the playoff, already thinking about the next shot. That is The Pay. That is what it meant to watch him play.

Reader's Guide

Stewart's career highlights include winning the 1989 PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes, the 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine National Golf Club, and the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. He also won the MCI Heritage Golf Classic in 1989 and 1990, the Hertz Bay Hill Classic in 1987, and the Shell Houston Open in 1995. He represented the United States on five Ryder Cup teams and three World Cup teams.

Did You Know?

• Stewart's first PGA Tour win was at the 1982 Quad Cities Open.
• He shot a 63 in the final round of the 1993 Open Championship.
• Stewart was ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for nearly 250 weeks.
• He donated his $108,000 winner's share from the 1987 Hertz Bay Hill Classic to a Florida hospital in memory of his father.