Pinehurst, N.C. – A specially designed pin flag decorated with the image of Payne Stewart will fly on the 18th green Sunday for the final round of the 105th U.S. Open Championship, USGA president Fred Ridley announced Tuesday during a ceremony near a statue that honors the late champion.
Stewart, known for his knickers and smooth swing, won the 1999 Open at Pinehurst in dramatic fashion with a 15-foot par putt on the 72nd hole. He died four months later in a plane crash at age 42.
“That moment with Payne’s clinched fist aimed at the sky embodied the sheer joy of victory,” Ridley said. “His play throughout the week was marked by precision and consistency. In Payne’s own unique way, he reflected all that is good about this game.”
The 10-minute ceremony began with the solemn music of a lone bagpiper who marched slowly up the No. 1 fairway toward the ceremony as onlookers stood in silence. The par putt on the final hole enabled Stewart to edge Phil Mickelson by a stroke.
Among his 11 PGA Tour victories, Stewart also won the 1989 PGA Championship and 1991 U.S. Open.
“He lives in my heart,” Mickelson said. “(His memory) pushes me to be a better player, a better father, better husband, better person.”
Mickelson expects this to be an emotional week for him. Amy Mickelson gave birth to Amanda, the first of their three children, the day after the 1999 U.S. Open. Mickelson said he would not have remained for a Monday playoff if Stewart had missed the par putt.
“When I arrived here and I saw the statue of Payne and when I drove by the house I stayed at (in 1999), a lot of memories came back,” Mickelson said.
Footnotes
Temperatures rose to the mid-90s Tuesday. The muggy conditions were expected to cool to the low 80s by the weekend.
“In any kind of weather conditions, cool or warm, playing a U.S. Open takes it out of you physically,” said Ernie Els, winner of the championship in 1994 and 1997. “You’ve got to be in pretty good shape if you want to keep at the highest level.” …
Never has a U.S. Open champion won the previous week on the PGA Tour. Sergio Garcia claimed the Booz Allen Classic on Sunday. “It’s just one of those things that has happened,” Garcia said. “But I don’t give it more credit than it deserves.” …
First-team All-American Spencer Levin, who recently completed his junior year at New Mexico, announced Tuesday that he has turned professional for the U.S. Open and will give up his final year of college eligibility.
