49 Facts About Payne Stewart

William Payne Stewart was an American professional golfer who won eleven PGA Tour events, including three major championships, the last of which came just a few months before his death in an airplane accident at the age of 42.

Payne Stewart won the 1991 US Open after a playoff against Scott Simpson.

At the 1999 US Open Payne Stewart captured his third major title after holing a 15-foot par putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory.

Payne Stewart was a popular golfer with spectators, who responded enthusiastically to his distinctive clothing.

Payne Stewart was reputed to have the biggest wardrobe of all professional golfers and was a favorite of photographers because of his flamboyant attire of ivy caps and patterned pants, which were a cross between plus fours and knickerbockers, a throwback to the once-commonplace golf "uniform".

Related searches

Payne Stewart was admired for having one of the most gracefully fluid and stylish golf swings of the modern era.

Payne Stewart was born and raised in Springfield, Missouri, and attended Greenwood Laboratory School, a K-12 school, on the campus of Missouri State University.

Payne Stewart played collegiate golf at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta and graduated in 1979.

Payne Stewart met Tracey Ferguson, sister of Australian golfer Mike Ferguson, in Kuala Lumpur in 1980 while he was playing on the Asia Golf Circuit, and they were married by November 1982.

Payne Stewart failed to earn a PGA Tour card at Qualifying School in his graduation year, so he played on the Asia Golf Circuit for a couple of years.

Payne Stewart won two tournaments in 1981, including the Indonesia Open in a playoff over three players.

Payne Stewart's father had played in the 1955 US Open, and had introduced his son to the game.

In 1983, Payne Stewart gained his second PGA Tour victory by winning the Walt Disney World Golf Classic by two strokes.

Moments after Bob Eastwood birdied the final hole of regulation, Payne Stewart took a double bogey to end the tournament tied for first.

Payne Stewart then made another double bogey on the first playoff hole, causing him to lose to Eastwood.

In 1985, Payne Stewart came close to winning The Open Championship, when he finished one stroke behind the champion Sandy Lyle.

Payne Stewart briefly led the US Open in 1986 during the back nine of the final round at Shinnecock Hills.

Payne Stewart had four runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour in 1986.

Payne Stewart won the Hertz Bay Hill Classic in Orlando, Florida in 1987, shooting a third round of 63 and a final round of 65 to beat South African David Frost by three shots.

Payne Stewart's victory was a memorable one to him as it came on his home course.

Payne Stewart's house was situated adjacent to the 12th tee of the Bay Hill Club course in Orlando, Florida.

Payne Stewart had two runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour in 1988, at The Honda Classic and the Provident Classic.

Payne Stewart was gaining a reputation for being one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour and one of the best players in the world not yet to have won a major championship at that point.

At Kemper Lakes Golf Club, Payne Stewart won the PGA Championship in 1989, his first major title.

Payne Stewart made up five strokes in the final three holes to overtake Reid and win by a stroke.

Related searches

Payne Stewart was able to gain the lead over Reid, who bogeyed the 16th, double-bogeyed the 17th, and missed a seven-foot birdie putt on the 18th, which would have forced a playoff.

In May 1990, Payne Stewart won his second tournament of the year at the GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic.

Payne Stewart was two shots behind Simpson going into the final three holes of the playoff.

Payne Stewart won the Hassan II Golf Trophy in Morocco in 1992 and 1993.

Payne Stewart was one of 10 players, until Branden Grace shot a 62 in 2017, to hold the record for shooting a 63 at the British Open.

In 1995, Payne Stewart gained his first US PGA Tour win in four years by winning the Shell Houston Open in a playoff over Scott Hoch, who lost a six-shot lead with seven holes to play.

Payne Stewart missed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole of his final round, which would have forced a playoff with Janzen.

Payne Stewart credited his winning putt to being more at peace with himself after his strengthened religious belief.

At the time of his death, Payne Stewart was ranked third on the all-time money list and in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking – he had been ranked in the top 10 for almost 250 weeks from 1986 to 1993, and again in 1999.

Payne Stewart represented the United States on five Ryder Cup teams.

Payne Stewart was disappointed to miss out in 1995 and 1997 when he failed to qualify automatically and was not chosen as a captain's pick.

Payne Stewart historically played well in The Open Championship, finishing runner-up in 1985 and 1990.

Payne Stewart played in international tournaments that were less obscure for American golfers, posting runners-up at the 1982 Australian Open, 1989 German Masters, and the 1993 Scottish Open.

Payne Stewart appeared on an episode of the American television sitcom Home Improvement titled "Futile Attraction", which aired on March 10,1998, and featured Payne Stewart as himself.

Payne Stewart was a musician, and played harmonica in the blues rock group Jake Trout and the Flounders, which included fellow golfers Larry Rinker and Peter Jacobsen.

On October 25,1999, a month after the American team rallied to win the Ryder Cup and four months after his US Open victory, Payne Stewart was killed in the crash of a Learjet flying from his home in Orlando, Florida, to Texas for the year-ending tournament, The Tour Championship, held at Champions Golf Club in Houston.

Payne Stewart Drive in Fullerton, California, and Payne Stewart Drive in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, leading into Northview golf course designed by Arnold Palmer, were named after him.

Finally, Payne Stewart Drive in Jacksonville, Florida, houses The First Tee along with a Job Corps center.

In 2000, the PGA Tour established the Payne Stewart Award, given each year 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.

At Pinehurst No 2, a bronze statue of Payne Stewart celebrating his winning putt in the 1999 US Open there overlooks the 18th green.

Related searches

Also, at the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach, where Payne Stewart would have been the defending champion, further tributes were paid.

The next day, when Payne Stewart's defending champion spot in the traditional initial pairings alongside the Open Championship winner and US Amateur winner was given to Nicklaus playing in his 44th consecutive and final US Open, Nicklaus asked for a moment of silence before his opening tee shot.

The fifth hole, for example, named "Road Hole", recounts the par Payne Stewart made in the first round of the 1990 Open Championship at Old Course at St Andrews when he was forced to knock his third shot against the wall behind the green at the Old Course's treacherous 17th.

Payne Stewart's ball finished just on the back fringe from where he chipped in.