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.
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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
Payne Stewart, inducted 2001. (Photo: Adam Schupak/Golfweek)
29th Ryder Cup Matches 1991
Payne Stewart and Mark Calcavecchia of the United States during the 29th Ryder Cup Matches on…
Payne Stewart and Mark Calcavecchia of the United States during the 29th Ryder Cup Matches on 27 September 1991 at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Getty Images)
1991 Ryder Cup
Mark O’Meara and Payne Stewart look on as team captain Dave Stockton pushes Corey Pavin into…
Mark O’Meara and Payne Stewart look on as team captain Dave Stockton pushes Corey Pavin into the water as the USA celebrate on the beach after victory in the Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island in South Carolina. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Getty Images)
GLF-RYDER CUP-TEAM PICTURE
US Ryder Cup team members (L to R) Justin Leonard, (kneeling), Steve Pate, Payne Stewart, Phil…
US Ryder Cup team members (L to R) Justin Leonard, (kneeling), Steve Pate, Payne Stewart, Phil Mickelson, Jeff Maggert, Captain Ben Crenshaw, David Duval, Tiger Woods, (back row) Tom Lehman, Jim Furyk, Davis Love III, Hal Sutton and Mark O’Meara touch the Ryder Cup during team pictures 26 September,1999 after winning at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. The US defeated the Europea team 14 1/2 to 13 1/2. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. CLARY (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
This 20 June 1999 file photo shows US golfer Payne
Payne Stewart at the 1999 U.S. Open (AFP/Getty Images)
Payne Stewart statue
A statue of Payne Stewart stands near Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club…
A statue of Payne Stewart stands near Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Photo by Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports
Golf: USA TODAY Sports-Archive
Aug 13, 1989; Long Grove, IL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Payne Stewart holds the trophy after winning…
Aug 13, 1989; Long Grove, IL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Payne Stewart holds the trophy after winning the 1989 PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY NETWORK
Golf: USA TODAY Sports-Archive
Payne Stewart surveys a green. Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY NETWORK
Payne Stewart statue
A statue of Payne Stewart stands near Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club…
A statue of Payne Stewart stands near Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Jack-Nicklaus-Ryder-Cup-1987
Jack Nicklaus, captain of the 1987 U.S. Ryder Cup team, looks over the inscription of the…
Jack Nicklaus, captain of the 1987 U.S. Ryder Cup team, looks over the inscription of the cup following opening ceremonies at Muirfield Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Other team members are, Payne Stewart, left, Andy Bean, rear, and Larry Mize, right.
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Payne Stewart during the second round of the 1999 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 2.
payne-stewart-1996-pga-championship
Payne Stewart reading his putt during the 1996 PGA Championship held at Valhalla Golf Club in…
Payne Stewart reading his putt during the 1996 PGA Championship held at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
payne-stewart-1999-us-open-championship-3
Payne Stewart during the third round of the 1999 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 2.
Payne Stewart during the third round of the 1999 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 2.
payne-stewart-payne-us-open-golf-channel
There will be plenty of reminiscing about Payne Stewart when the U.S. Open returns to Pinehurst…
There will be plenty of reminiscing about Payne Stewart when the U.S. Open returns to Pinehurst Resort on the 15-year anniversary of his 1999 victory. “Payne,” Golf Channel’s hour-long documentary, will show golf fans the arc of Stewart’s life.
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