What does Payne Stewart Remind You?
The Payne Stewart Award: What better way to forever honor the legacy that Stewart left than with the annual Payne Stewart Award, given to a player ‘who shows respect for the traditions of the game, commitment to uphold the game’s heritage of charitable support and professional and meticulous presentation of himself and the sport through his dress and conduct.’ The list of honorees is one Payne would have been proud of: Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Ben Crenshaw, Nick Price, Tom Watson, Jay Haas, Brad Faxon, Gary Player, Hal Sutton, Davis Love III, and this year’s recipient, Kenny Perry.
Style and attire: It might seem a little silly to say the thing I remember most about Payne was his now famous knickers, tam-o’-shanter hat, argyle socks and golf shoes. But the fact is he stood out like no other athlete in any sport – football, baseball, basketball players and even golfers all wear similar outfits and uniforms. And then there was Stewart, truly one of a kind. And boy could he pull it off. Plus, it certainly didn’t hurt that he had one of the sweetest swings the game has ever seen. The total package – visually speaking. And it is what I will always most remember about him.
Practical jokes: David Feherty enjoys telling the story of Stewart putting a dead groundhog in his hotel one year. Problem was, it wasn’t dead. Paul Azinger likes to recall banana peels being stuffed in his shoes. In my view, there can never be enough practical jokes and pranks – especially on the PGA Tour – and thankfully ,Payne shared that same attitude.
The tributes: The lone bagpiper walking in the morning fog before the start of the Tour Championship in 1999 at the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. … Fellow PGA Tour pros staging their version of a the 21-gun salute on Pebble Beach’s 18th fairway before the the following year’s U.S. Open. … The funeral in Orlando, where Azinger delivered his heartfelt salute to his best friend, and then Payne’s wife, Tracey, taking the podium, and through tears, saying goodbye to a great father, a great husband, and for the rest of us, an all-time great character.
Moment of clarity: In the immediate aftermath of winning his third major championship – the U.S. Open at Pinehurst – in most dramatic fashion, Stewart famously grabbed the distraught runner-up and soon-to-be father, Phil Mickelson, and looked him straight in the eyes and told him, ”You’re going to be a father.’ Said Mickelson later about the moment, “It was very touching that when he just had one of his greatest triumphs in his career, he was thinking about somebody else.”
