Remembering 1999

Good luck with the baby. There's nothing like being a father.

--Payne Stewart

Cue the sentimental interlude stories with piano background.....All of the media reports surrounding this week's U.S. Open golf tournament at Pinehurst will do a feature on the obvious connection: the last time the tourney was held here, Payne Stewart won in dramatic fashion over Phil Mickelson. About 4 months later, the plane he was in inexplicably lost cabin pressure, which disabled all 6 people on board and caused the plane to crash. What was supposed to be a 2-hour flight from Orlando to Dallas ended in a horrible tragedy.

I really wasn't "into" golf at that point in my life--I picked it up about a year or so later--but I knew enough to think that Payne Stewart seemed like a regular guy. Aside from the Tiger Woods's and Arnold Palmers and Jack Nicklaus's, in my opinion, golf's 'stars' seem a lot more 'regular.' That is to say, they seem like they're just regular ole folks, somebody's dad and husband, out there playing a game they love and getting paid to do it. But you know what? There aren't any "6-year contracts" or signing bonuses in golf. If you do well, you get paid a lot. If you stink, you don't. That's not to say that there aren't endorsement contracts and all that, but golf as a sport is entirely different than baseball, football, and basketball.

I love the game of golf. It kinda has a reputation of being a "rich man's sport", but I think that image is deteriorating a bit--which is a good thing. But golf is about so much more than hitting a dimpled ball into a 4" diameter hole. It's a game of honor. Of respect. Of etiquette and consideration to other players and the course. Throw in some scenic courses with spectacular holes, and you have a recipe for an incredible experience that cannot be found at the "Rolling Pin Bowling Alley" (no disrespect to bowlers).

Shortly after the tragedy, I read the authorized biography of Payne Stewart, written by his wife Tracey (and I'm thinking about reading it again). I became to miss the guy even more, and I wished I had had the chance to seem him play one time. All of his colleagues seems to say how much he loved life. He loved Memphis and our tournament because he had good friends here. He was known as a prankster. He impacted everyone's life that he touched. The above quote was one such example of how "real" Payne was. 1999--18th hole of the U.S. Open. Drama all day long. You just drain an incredible putt to win the tournament, and after hugging your caddie, you go to your competitor, Phil Mickelson (whose wife is expecting, and literally due any day), and utter those words. Amanda Mickelson was born the next day, and Phil says that Payne's words were very prophetic and he agrees whole-heartedly.

I recently bought a framed picture that captures 3 separate memorable moments of the U.S. Open. One of those moments is Payne's '99 victory. As soon as I find a fitting place for it, it will be hanging proudly. I miss you, Payne. I really, really do. And I know the golf world misses you. But I'm sure you're playing the most spectacular course of them all right now.