What really happened to Payne Stewart?
We will dive into the legacy of the golf icon, from his magnetic personality
on the golf course through his lasting imprint on the sport of golf.
This is heartbreaking! Our team dug deep into the pages of The Washington Post, Golf
Digest and PGA Tour to reveal the truth of what happened to Payne. Come along with us as
we revisit the tragedy that befell him that put an end to his illustrious golf career.
How was his golf play before the PGA Tour?
It was his father, who got Payne Stewart started
on the game of golf while he was growing up in Missouri. His father had the privilege of
having played in the 1955 US Open. Payne played collegiate golf while pursuing a business
degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Upon his graduation in 1979, Payne was
unable to earn a PGA Tour card at Qualifying School. He decided, instead, to play on the Asian
Golf Circuit for the next two years. His decision earned him two tournament wins in 1981, one of
which was the Indonesia Open. Not satisfied with just playing in Asia, Payne went back to the US
and finally earned his 1982 PGA Tour card.
Payne's involvement in the Asian Tour during
the 1980-81 period was a notable chapter in his career. While it was relatively short, it played
a significant role in his development as a golfer and helped him gain valuable experience that
would benefit his career in the years to come.
How was his golf journey in the PGA?
He started his professional golf career with a win at the Quad Cities Open in 1982.
More than his win, the crowd remembered him for wearing colorful knickers, plus four
bright stockings and a tam o-shanter, His outfit eventually became a trademark for
Payne and earned him a reputation of being one of the best dressed professional golfers.
Payne scored his second victory on the PGA Tour at the Walt Disney World Golf Classic in 1983.
He then had second place finishes at the Byron Nelson Golf Classic and The Open Championship
in 1985. This continued in 1986 where he ended up as the tournament runner-up four times.
Payne’s dry spell would end in 1987 when he won the Hertz Bay Hill Classic in Orlando,
Florida. After 2 runner-up finishes at the Honda Classic and Provident Classic in 1988,
he recorded his fourth PGA Tour win at the MCI Heritage Golf Classic in April, 1989.
At this point, he was beginning to enjoy the reputation of being one of the most consistent
and best PGA Tour players to not have yet won a major championship. But that reputation was
not to hold as Payne won his first major by winning the PGA Championship in August.
It was also in 1989 when Payne entered an endorsement deal with NFL, requiring
him to dress up in the team colors of the NFL team closest to the location where he was
playing, a deal that lasted until May, 1995.
Payne’s next PGA victory was a consecutive MCI
Heritage Golf Classic title in 1990, with the additional honor of being the first player to
win back-to-back titles in the event. In May, he was the GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic winner
and in that summer, Payne reached his peak of third place at the Official World Golf Ranking.
It was at the 1991 US Open that Payne secured his second major title at the US Open, winning
in exceptional fashion after holing a 20-foot birdie. Another 1991 title came to him with a win
at the Heineken Dutch Open, the following month.
For 1992 and 1993, Payne recorded back to
back wins at the Hassan 2 Golf Trophy in Morocco. After a 4-year dry spell at the PGA
Tour, he won the Shell Houston Open in 1995.
After runner-up finishes at the US Open in
1993 and 1998, Payne won his last major, at the 1999 US Open, beating Phil Mickelson with
a memorable 15-foot par putt, the longest ever made in winning the major. In his delight at
winning, Payne raised a fist in the air and kicked his leg out from behind, a legendary pose
that was immortalized in a bronze statue. This statue of Payne stands behind the eighteenth
green at the Pinehurst Resort Number 2 course, as a commemoration of his winning putt.
His golf legacy extends to his representing his country in 5 Ryder Cup and
3 World Cup competitions.
Payne's PGA Tour career spanned from 1982 through
1999, highlighted by a total of 11 victories, including 3 majors. Marked by both success and
resilience, his games were characterized by his unique, gracefully fluid and stylish swings.
What happened on October 25, 1999?
Payne, together with Robert Fraley, his agent,
Van Ardan, a sports management agency president and Bruce Borland, a golf architect, boarded a
chartered Learjet 35 jet for a two-hour flight from Orlando, Florida to Dallas, Texas. Payne was
to attend the Tour Championship, the year-ending tournament at the Champions Golf Club.
Early in the flight, the aircraft climbed to its assigned altitude on autopilot. 14 minutes
after takeoff, air traffic controllers attempted to contact the plane but their message went
unacknowledged. They attempted contact 5 more times but there was no answer just the same.
A US Air Force F-16 test pilot who happened to be in the air nearby, was asked to
intercept the jet. Upon visual inspection, there seems to be no visible airplane
damage, with both engines running. However, the pilot could not see inside the passenger
section as the windows were dark. Meanwhile, the cockpit windshields appeared opaque, with
the insides of the right windshield covered with condensation or ice while the left windshield
seemed to be thinly covered with the same.
While this horrific scene was being broadcasted
on television news networks, Air Force pilots were given the go signal to shoot down the jet should
it drift to a densely populated location. Luckily, the plane eventually ran out of fuel and
crashed in an empty field near Aberdeen.
After a thorough investigation, it
was concluded that the jet lost cabin pressure within minutes after takeoff due to
an undetermined cause. It appears that the 2 pilots and 4 passengers immediately passed out
due to lack of oxygen long before the crash.
In tribute to Payne’s demise, all the golfers
in the 1999 Tour Championship, the tournament he was traveling for, wore plus fours together
with a tam o-shanter, during the final round.
Also, in the opening of the 2000 US Open,
21 of Payne’s golf buddies simultaneously hit golf balls into the ocean at Pebble Beach,
golf’s answer to the military 21 gun salute.
Tracy Stewart, his widow, published a biography
and established the Payne Stewart Enterprises, to celebrate the life of her husband. Partners to
the enterprise include Payne’s Valley Golf Course, SeeMore Putters, Golf Links to the Past,
Payne Stewart Golf Camps, Posse Films, USGA, Steven Dinberg Photography, Southern Company and
Payne Stewart Collection. Each partner engages in activities that promote Payne’s name and image.
In 2000, the PGA Tour introduced the Payne Stewart Award, given to the PGA player who
best symbolizes character, sportsmanship and charity both on and off the course.
In 2001, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and in 2009, the Payne Stewart Golf
Club was established in Branson, Missouri.
Payne's untimely death in 1999 had a
profound impact on the golf community worldwide. It left an indelible mark on the
golf community, reminding everyone of the fragility of life and the enduring legacy of a
player who embodied the spirit of the sport.
Payne remains to be a beloved figure
in the field of professional golf, known for his distinctive attire and
charismatic personality. Proceed to the next video for an in-depth look
at the life of another golf icon.