Payne STEWART

 On the 25th October 1999 the golfing world mourned the loss of one of it's favourite sons when Payne Stewart's private jet crashed,killing all onboard. Stewart was much loved for his bubbly personality and flamboyant dress sense but above all he will be remembered as a true gentleman on and off the course. Payne had joined the professional game in 1979 and it was on the Asian Circuit that he first began to dispay his talents. He tasted success at the 1981 Indian and Indonesian Opens on his way to a third place finish in the Order of Merit. The following year he captured his first US Tour event with victory at the Quad Cities Open,mainly thanks to a superb closing round 63. In 1983 he won the Walt Disney World Golf Classic,playing some fine golf to return rounds of 69,64,69 and 67 for a nineteen under par total.

It was to be four long years before the man from Springfield would add to those two Tour victories but in that time he proved himself to be a prolific money winner. In 1986,for example,he finished third on the US Tour Money List with a total of $535,389. For any ambitious golfer however,which Payne certainly was,it is all about winning tournaments and in 1985 he came within a whisker of landing one of the games biggest. In a high scoring Open Championship at Sandwich the American finished just one stroke behind the champion Sandy Lyle,who returned a two over par total. Stewart's undoing proved to be his second round 75 and despite a closing effort of 68 (the photo above shows Payne on the 17th tee during the final round),compared to Lyle's 70,it was the Scot who clung on for his first major. (David Scranage)

 Payne Stewart returned to the winners rostrum with his victory at the 1987 Hertz Bay Hill Classic - a success that played no small part in him making his Ryder Cup bow that same year. It was not the debut he would have hoped for,however,as the Americans went down to their first defeat on home soil for many a year. Payne had the misfortune to come up against the formidable Ballesteros/Olazabal pairing in each of his first two matches and on both occasions went down to the narrowest of defeats. He came back strongly though to register a four-balls win in partnership with Andy Bean,whilst in the singles he gained some revenge over Olazabal with a two up victory.

The year of 1989 proved to be a magnificent one for Payne - he won $1,201,301 on his way to a second place finish in the Money List but,more importantly,he captured his first major title when winning the PGA Championship. He had started the tournament poorly with an opening round 74 but rounds of 66 and 69 brought him back into contention,albeit six strokes back on leader Mike Reid. Last day nerves struck Reid,however,and Payne's closing 67,for a twelve under par total,was sufficient to give him a one stroke victory from Andy Bean,Curtis Strange and the faltering Reid. At the 1990 Open Championship Stewart produced some highly consistent golf to return three consecutive rounds of 68 followed by a closing day 71. Any other year he could have expected to lift the trophy but Payne was unfortunate enough to encounter Nick Faldo at the very peak of his powers. The Englishman played some sublime golf to finish at eighteen under par with Stewart five shots back at thirteen under. (David Scranage)

 Payne Stewart captured his second major with a play-off victory over Scott Simpson in the 1991 US Open,played at the Hazeltine National course. The two Americans had finished the four rounds all-square at three under par which meant,under US Open rules,returning for a further eighteen holes the next day. Neither man could reproduce the form of the previous four days,but it was Payne who took the honours with a round of 75 compared to Simpson's 77. Stewart was back on Ryder Cup duty for the rather ill-tempered 1991 match at Kiawah Island as the Americans triumphed for the first time since 1983. Payne's contribution was the useful return of two and a half points from his four matches,with each of his two wins coming in partnership with Mark Calcavecchia. Amid the most amazing tension the Americans took the trophy courtesy of a 14 1/2-13 1/2 scoreline in a match that went down to the last green of the last match.

In 1993 Stewart,who was always recognizable due to his trademark plus fours,came close to landing a second US Open crown. He finished at six under par but had to settle for second place just two strokes behind Lee Janzen who had played consistently well all week to shoot two 67s and two 69s. The '93 Ryder Cup saw Payne produce his best return in the event,with three points from a possible four,to help his team retain the trophy. Stewart's performance epitomised the fighting spirit he had shown thoughout his career as in the first day morning foursomes he and Paul Azinger had been handed a 7&5 thrashing by Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer. (David Scranage)

 Payne Stewart was to endure something of a barren spell in the mid 1990s,and had just the 1995 Shell Houston Open to show for his troubles,before enjoying a return to winning ways in 1999. He had come agonisingly close to a second US Open crown in 1998,only to be denied for the second time by Lee Janzen,but a year later there was to be no stopping the man from Missouri. The Pinehurst course played host to the event and provided the toughest test imaginable for the players,as shown by the fact that Payne was the only man under par. The course was widely criticised for being to difficult but Stewart played wonderfully well all week to tame the blue eyed monster with rounds of 68,69,72 and 70. That left him at one under par and one stroke clear of Phil Mickelson,with Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods a further shot back. It was his third major championship and,sadly,it would prove to be his last.

The 1999 Ryder Cup saw Stewart demonstrate his great sportsmanship in the manner that he stood up for Colin Montgomerie in the final day singles. Montgomerie was receiving some fearful abuse from the American galleries and,outraged at what he was witnessing,Payne stepped in to lambast his fellow countryman for their behaviour. Just weeks later came that fateful day in late October when Payne Stewart lost his life and Montgomerie's was one of the many tributes that poured in "Payne was more than just a wonderful golfer,he was a charming and fun man to be with and a colourful and influential sporting figure recognizable and admired the world over. He will be terribly missed and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time." Those words summed up well how everyone was feeling. (David Scranage)