article by Nicola Pucci
There is so much melancholy in remembering what was the last, great success of Payne Stewart’s extraordinary golf career. Why on October 25, 1999, just 4 months after a legendary encore at the US Open, a cursed fate took him awaywhen the Learjet who was taking him from his home in Orlando, Florida to Houston, Texas for the season-ending PGA Tour tournament,”The Tour Championship“, it went into decompression and all passengers on board lost their lives due to hypoxia. He was only 42 years old, far too young to find a place next to the gods who inhabit eternity.
Tears, and regrets, because in 1999 Stewart’s competitive adventure, which began among professionals in 1979 and continued on the PGA Tour since 1982, was experiencing a new winning parableafter a few years stingy with satisfaction in which Payne, forgetful of his talents, seemed only a faded relative of the champion capable in the past of achieving successes of enormous merit.
In fact, this golfer born in Springfield on January 30, 1957, son of Bill who in turn played the US Open in 1955 (missing the cut), already in his first year on the main professional circuit he achieved his first victory al Quad Cities Openthe only one under the father’s eyes, beating Brad Bryant and Pat McGowan by 2 shots, then repeating the following year, 1983al Walt Disney World Golf Classic, this time getting the better of Nick Faldo and Mark McCumber. What if two more victories followed which certified his status as a championl’Arnold Palmer in 1987 and theRBC Heritage Classic in 1989, well ten placings in the top ten of the Major tournaments (including second place at the 1985 Open Championship, defeated by just 1 shot by the Scot Sandy Lyle) had been a prelude to the exploit at the PGA Championship of the same 1989, when Stewart had recovered Mike Reid is 6 shots behind to finish the final 18 holes in 67 strokes, enough to give himself the gift of a first Slam in his career.
Yes, why then two years afterpassing through a second success atRBC Heritage Classic and a triumphant one The Byron Nelson beating Lanny Wadkins by 2 shots, right at the US Open he had definitively guaranteed himself a place among the greats of golf by overcoming Scott Simpson in a dramatic 18-hole play-off played in the windHazeltine National Golf Club of Chaska, Minnesota, and in which Stewart had recovered a two-stroke deficit in the last three holes, thanks to three bloody bogeys from his rival.
Eight, very long years pass, honored by the Springfield champion only with one success allo Shell Houston Open in 1995 (overcoming Scott Hoch by 6 shots in the last 7 holes, and then beating him on the first play-off hole) and with two places of honor at the US Open (curiously beaten, in both cases, by Luc Jenzen, in 1993 and 1998, squandering a 7-shot lead on the occasion)finding a way, in the same 1993, to score at the Open Championship played at Royal St George’s Golf Club of Sandwich a final round in 63 shotsa record for the tournament destined to last until 2017 when Branden Grace in 62 shots will improve that record.
All’AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, on February 7, 1999, Stewart finally renewed his appointment with a success on the PGA Tourand if the season promises well, let’s move, from June 17th to 20th, to the Pinehurst Resort, in North Carolina, for the 99th edition of the US Open from whom Stewart, having been mocked the year before by Jenzen, demands a possible rematch. Is that among the candidates for victory, in addition to the Spaniard José-Maria Olazabal, fresh from victory at the Masters, there are also two champions of the caliber of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. With which he will give life to a tight challenge.
Own the left-handed Californian closed the first round in command, 3 strokes under par, paired with David Duval, Paul Goydos and Billy Mayfair, shooting in close par the following day to find himself, after 36 holes, still at the top of the provisional ranking, still 3 strokes under par, equaled not only by Duval, who copies his score, but also by Stewart himself. Woods follows with 2 strokes to spare, and it is also certain that victory is in the sights of the most awaited champions on Saturday evening, when Payne, who signs a third card of 72 shots, is alone in first place with 1 shot ahead of Mickelson, 2 over the couple formed by Woods and Tim Herron, and 3 over a fierce trio, made up of Duval, Vijay Singh and Steve Stricker.
Last, exciting 18 holes, then. And here the history of golf is made, because Stewart and Mickelson engage in a last-shot duel, with Payne boasting a 2-stroke lead after 6 holes, Phil regaining the lead thanks to a birdie on hole 7 and thanks to a bogey from his rival on hole 10, Stewart even finding himself in 1 stroke disadvantage for two major bogeys on holes 12 and 15 (interspersed with a birdie on the 13th)and the last three holes are forbidden to heart patients.
On the par 4 of the 16th hole (with Woods temporarily reaching the top of the rankings with a birdie, equal to par, while Singh slipped to +1 with a bogey), Mickelson (who is at -1) and Stewart (tied for par) do not reach the green with the second shot, one playing from the rough, the other from the front green an approach, a job of which they are both masters. In fact, Stewart’s shot is decidedly long, Mickelson’s allows a putt from close range, but if Payne holes a kilometer shot, saving par, Phil remains two centimeters from the hole, scoring a bogey. Meanwhile, on the 17th hole, Woods misses the putt for par, and with a bogey he finds himself once again at +1, as is Singh himself with whom he will ultimately share the final third place.
Those who play golf know very well that “races are won with putts“, and that’s exactly what happens on the last two holes at Pinehurst Resort. At the 17th, in fact, Stewart and Mickelson play a photocopy teeshot, with the ball one and a half meters from the flag, but if Payne once again holes out for birdie, Phil makes another mistake, and on the last hole, with the two champions divided from just one shot… a miracle happens.
Mickelson reaches the green with the second shot, Stewart, whose teeshot ended up in the rough to the right of the fairway, makes a lay-up with the second shot and then reaches the green with the third. And if Phil, six meters from the flag, closes the par with two putts, Payne needs a one-putt from 5 meters to save the par in turn, avoid the play-off and return to winning a Major tournament. In his case, it would be the encore at the US Open after the 1991 victory. Everyone’s eyes are there, on that last shot destined for golf history, 15 feet separate Stewart from glory and Mickelson anxiously waiting, and the leader’s ball, with surgical precision, ends its run at the bottom of the hole.
For Payne Stewart it is irrepressible joy, unaware that fate, too often merciless towards heroes, will be waiting for him a few months later. Burdening those who remain with enormous sadness.
2024-06-13 09:01:00
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