Payne Stewart was a frequent contender through the 1980s and broke through in the majors at the 1989 PGA Championship, and he added two more top titles in the ’90s. Stewart outlasted Scott Simpson in an 18-hole playoff at the 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine, and he drained a 15-foot par to beat Phil Mickelson by a shot in the ’99 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, where Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh also were among final-round contenders.
An extremely popular player known for his knickers, Stewart died later in 1999 in an airplane crash. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.
In his honor, the Payne Stewart Award is presented annually by the PGA Tour to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship.
Stewart would have turned 67 on Jan. 30, 2024.
Here is a look at the golf life of Stewart, and the legacy he has left behind.
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Payne Stewart, inducted 2001. (Photo: Adam Schupak/Golfweek)
29th Ryder Cup Matches 1991
Payne Stewart and Mark Calcavecchia of the United States during the 29th Ryder Cup Matches on…
Payne Stewart and Mark Calcavecchia of the United States during the 29th Ryder Cup Matches on 27 September 1991 at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Getty Images)
1991 Ryder Cup
Mark O’Meara and Payne Stewart look on as team captain Dave Stockton pushes Corey Pavin into…
Mark O’Meara and Payne Stewart look on as team captain Dave Stockton pushes Corey Pavin into the water as the USA celebrate on the beach after victory in the Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island in South Carolina. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Getty Images)
GLF-RYDER CUP-TEAM PICTURE
US Ryder Cup team members (L to R) Justin Leonard, (kneeling), Steve Pate, Payne Stewart, Phil…
US Ryder Cup team members (L to R) Justin Leonard, (kneeling), Steve Pate, Payne Stewart, Phil Mickelson, Jeff Maggert, Captain Ben Crenshaw, David Duval, Tiger Woods, (back row) Tom Lehman, Jim Furyk, Davis Love III, Hal Sutton and Mark O’Meara touch the Ryder Cup during team pictures 26 September,1999 after winning at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. The US defeated the Europea team 14 1/2 to 13 1/2. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. CLARY (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
This 20 June 1999 file photo shows US golfer Payne
Payne Stewart at the 1999 U.S. Open (AFP/Getty Images)
Payne Stewart statue
A statue of Payne Stewart stands near Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club…
A statue of Payne Stewart stands near Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Photo by Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports
Golf: USA TODAY Sports-Archive
Aug 13, 1989; Long Grove, IL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Payne Stewart holds the trophy after winning…
Aug 13, 1989; Long Grove, IL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Payne Stewart holds the trophy after winning the 1989 PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY NETWORK
Golf: USA TODAY Sports-Archive
Payne Stewart surveys a green. Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY NETWORK
Payne Stewart statue
A statue of Payne Stewart stands near Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club…
A statue of Payne Stewart stands near Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
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Jack Nicklaus, captain of the 1987 U.S. Ryder Cup team, looks over the inscription of the…
Jack Nicklaus, captain of the 1987 U.S. Ryder Cup team, looks over the inscription of the cup following opening ceremonies at Muirfield Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Other team members are, Payne Stewart, left, Andy Bean, rear, and Larry Mize, right.
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Payne Stewart during the second round of the 1999 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 2.
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Payne Stewart reading his putt during the 1996 PGA Championship held at Valhalla Golf Club in…
Payne Stewart reading his putt during the 1996 PGA Championship held at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
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Payne Stewart during the third round of the 1999 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 2.
Payne Stewart during the third round of the 1999 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 2.
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There will be plenty of reminiscing about Payne Stewart when the U.S. Open returns to Pinehurst…
There will be plenty of reminiscing about Payne Stewart when the U.S. Open returns to Pinehurst Resort on the 15-year anniversary of his 1999 victory. “Payne,” Golf Channel’s hour-long documentary, will show golf fans the arc of Stewart’s life.
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Payne Stewart hugs an unidentified bystander after winning the PGA Championship in Hawthorn Woods, Ill., in…
Payne Stewart hugs an unidentified bystander after winning the PGA Championship in Hawthorn Woods, Ill., in this August 13, 1989, file photo. A Learjet carrying golf champion Payne Stewart flew uncontrolled over the nation’s heartland for hours Monday Oct. 25, 1999, before crashing in South Dakota, killing everyone aboard.
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Payne Stewart, of Orlando, Fla., watches his ball on the green after hitting from the bunker…
Payne Stewart, of Orlando, Fla., watches his ball on the green after hitting from the bunker on the 13th hole during the first round of the 81st PGA Championship at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill., on Thursday, Aug. 12, 1999.
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Payne Stewart, of Orlando, Fla., holds up the PGA Championship trophy after his come-from-behind vicotory at…
Payne Stewart, of Orlando, Fla., holds up the PGA Championship trophy after his come-from-behind vicotory at Kemper Lakes in this Aug. 13, 1989 photo, in Hawthorn Woods, Ill. Stewart, this year’s U.S. Open Champion and winner of 18 tournaments around the world, including three major championships, died in a plane crash, Monday Oct. 25, 1999. He was 42.
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Payne Stewart pours champagne over team mate Hale Irwin after victory in the Ryder Cup at…
Payne Stewart pours champagne over team mate Hale Irwin after victory in the Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island in South Carolina.
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Payne Stewart kisses the winner’s trophy after capturing the U.S. Open golf championship at the Pinehurst…
Payne Stewart kisses the winner’s trophy after capturing the U.S. Open golf championship at the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s No. 2 course in Pinehurst, N.C. on Sunday, June 20, 1999.
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Payne Stewart swings on the seventh hole during the final round of the PGA Championship at…
Payne Stewart swings on the seventh hole during the final round of the PGA Championship at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, Aug. 13, 1995. Stewart, who is sponsored by NFL Properties, normally wears the colors of the local team at tournaments, but wears a generic NFL outfit for the PGA as Los Angeles has no professional football team.
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Phil Mickelson, right, congratulates Payne Stewart after Stewart won the U.S. Open at the Pinehurst Resort…
Phil Mickelson, right, congratulates Payne Stewart after Stewart won the U.S. Open at the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s No. 2 course in Pinehurst, N.C. on Sunday, June 20, 1999. Stewart beat Mickelson by one stroke, sinking a putt for par on the 18th hole. Stewart’s final score was 1-under-par 279.
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Payne Stewart, of Orlando, Fla., reacts after making a birdie putt on the second hole during…
Payne Stewart, of Orlando, Fla., reacts after making a birdie putt on the second hole during the second round of the 1998 U.S. Open Championship at the Lake Course of the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, June 19, 1998. Stewart started the round in the lead at 4-under-par.
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Payne Stewart reacts to his missed birdie putt on the 13th hole during the U.S. Open…
Payne Stewart reacts to his missed birdie putt on the 13th hole during the U.S. Open in Springfield, N.J., in this June 20, 1993 photo. A Learjet co-owned by golf champion Payne Stewart flew uncontrolled over the nation’s heartland for hours Monday Oct. 25, 1999 before crashing in South Dakota, apparently with five people aboard. There were no survivors. Government officials feared that Stewart was among the victims.
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Payne Stewart watches his shot from the trap on the first green in Monday, June 17,…
Payne Stewart watches his shot from the trap on the first green in Monday, June 17, 1991 playoff round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship in Chaska, Minn.
1991 U.S. Open
Payne Stewart holds up the winner’s trophy after capturing the U.S. Open at Hazeltine in Chaska,…
Payne Stewart holds up the winner’s trophy after capturing the U.S. Open at Hazeltine in Chaska, Minnseota, on June 17, 1991 in a playoff against Scott Simpson.
1991 U.S. Open
Payne Stewart and Scott Simpson shake hands after completing the final round of the 1991 U.S.…
Payne Stewart and Scott Simpson shake hands after completing the final round of the 1991 U.S. Open tied.
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Payne Stewart during the 1990 British Open at St. Andrews.
1993 Ryder Cup
Payne Stewart celebrates his win against Mark James during the 1993 Ryder Cup at the Belfry.
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Payne Stewart during the 1998 PGA Championships at the Sahalee Country Club.
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Justin Leonard and Payne Stewart line up a putt during the Ryder Cup at the Brookline…
Justin Leonard and Payne Stewart line up a putt during the Ryder Cup at the Brookline in 1999.
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Payne Stewart as he birdies at the 17th hole during the 1989 British Open at Royal…
Payne Stewart as he birdies at the 17th hole during the 1989 British Open at Royal Troon.
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Payne Stewart falls to his knees after missing a chip shot Sept. 26, 1999 at the…
Payne Stewart falls to his knees after missing a chip shot Sept. 26, 1999 at the Ryder Cup.
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Payne Stewart plays from a bunker during the Ryder Cup at the Brookline in 1999.
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Payne Stewart and Mark O”Meara after winning the Ryder Cup in 1999 at Brookline Country Club.
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Payne Stewart during the 1991 U.S. Open at the Hazeltine National.
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Payne Stewart after winning the 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine National.
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Payne Stewart out of a bunker on the 11th hole during the 1999 Alfred Dunhill Cup…
Payne Stewart out of a bunker on the 11th hole during the 1999 Alfred Dunhill Cup played at The Old Course at St. Andrews.
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A bridge at Hazeltine National was named in honor of Payne Stewart, the 1991 U.S. Open…
A bridge at Hazeltine National was named in honor of Payne Stewart, the 1991 U.S. Open Champion at Hazeltine.
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Flowers adorn Payne Stewart’s parking spot at the Tour Championship in Houston.
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Walking through the early morning fog on the first tee Oct. 28, 1999, bagpiper Steve Agan…
Walking through the early morning fog on the first tee Oct. 28, 1999, bagpiper Steve Agan begins the memorial service for Payne Stewart before the PGA Tour Championship at Champions Golf Course in Houston.
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Payne Stewart during the 1999 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
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Payne Stewart poses with the winners trophy after the 1999 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
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Payne Stewart after winning the 1989 PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes.
Michael Jordan & Golf
Payne Stewart talks with Michael Jordan at the 1999 Ryder Cup.
Payne Stewart talks with Michael Jordan at the 1999 Ryder Cup.
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William Payne Stewart (Jan. 30, 1957 – Oct. 25, 1999)
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Payne Stewart reacts to a birdie putt during the 1998 U.S. Open in San Francisco.
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Payne Stewart reacts to a birdie putt on the 18th hole en route to a 66…
Payne Stewart reacts to a birdie putt on the 18th hole en route to a 66 on the opening day of the 1998 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
1993 Ryder Cup
Payne Stewart celebrates with a magnum of champagne after the U.S. defeated Europe in the 1993…
Payne Stewart celebrates with a magnum of champagne after the U.S. defeated Europe in the 1993 Ryder Cup. (Photo: Associated Press)
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Payne Stewart lines up a putt during the 1993 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines.
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Payne Stewart plays from the ninth fairway during the 1991 AT&T Pebble Beach.
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Payne Stewart during the 1990 British Open at St. Andrews.
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The Stewarts – Tracey, Payne and 5-year-old Chelsea – with the 1991 U.S. Open trophy.
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Paul Azinger gestures as he eulogizes Payne Stewart at the First Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla.,…
Paul Azinger gestures as he eulogizes Payne Stewart at the First Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 29, 1999.
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Tom Lehman, left, wipes his eyes as he listens to a bagpiper play “Amazing Grace” while…
Tom Lehman, left, wipes his eyes as he listens to a bagpiper play “Amazing Grace” while sitting next to PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem during a memorial service for Payne Stewart on Oct. 28, 1999 at Champions Golf Club before the start of the Tour Championship.
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Payne Stewart during the first round of the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie.
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Mourners view photos of Payne Stewart during a memorial service Oct. 29, 1999 at the First…
Mourners view photos of Payne Stewart during a memorial service Oct. 29, 1999 at the First Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla.
