Payne Stewart
A flamboyant golfer in plus-fours whose classic swing and tragic death cemented his status as one of the game's most memorable figures.
1957–1999 (age 42)·American professional golfer·Birthday: January 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Payne Stewart was an anachronism in the best way, a burst of vibrant color and old-school style in the modern golf world. Instantly recognizable in his trademark knickerbockers and flat cap, he played with a rhythmic, pure swing that yielded 11 PGA Tour wins, including three major championships. His victories at the 1989 PGA Championship and the 1991 U.S. Open established his elite status, but it was his dramatic 15-foot par putt to win the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst that became his crowning moment, a display of clutch grace under pressure. Just four months later, the golf world was stunned when Stewart died in a mysterious airplane accident at age 42. His legacy is twofold: he is remembered as a fierce competitor who reclaimed his game through hard work, and as a philanthropist whose memory is honored through the PGA Tour's Payne Stewart Award, given annually for character, charity, and sportsmanship.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Payne was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Payne Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Payne's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
1999Died at 42
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
Key Achievements
- Won 11 PGA Tour events, including three major championships: the 1989 PGA Championship, the 1991 U.S. Open, and the 1999 U.S. Open.
- Secured the 1999 U.S. Open with a dramatic 15-foot par putt on the final hole to defeat Phil Mickelson by one stroke.
- Was a key member of three U.S. Ryder Cup teams (1987, 1989, 1991) and one U.S. Presidents Cup team (1996).
- Posthumously had the PGA Tour's annual character and sportsmanship award named in his honor: the Payne Stewart Award.
Did You Know?
He was an accomplished pilot and often flew himself to tournaments.
Before the 1999 U.S. Open, he had gone winless on the PGA Tour for over four years.
He wore his signature plus-fours (knickerbockers) as a tribute to the golf fashion of the early 20th century.
The private jet he was aboard when he died flew uncontrolled for nearly four hours before crashing due to cabin depressurization.
“The one thing I've learned is that you don't win a U.S. Open, the U.S. Open wins you.”
