Payne-Full Memories of Pinehurst

Barstool Sports looks back at Payne Stewart’s emotional win at the ’99 US Open and sizes up this year’s field to see who might follow in his footsteps in 2005.

With the US Open returning to Pinehurst #2 this week for the first time since Payne Stewart’s victory there six years ago, just months before his tragic death in a plane crash, the memories of that dramatic Sunday have been lingering in my mind a lot.

I remember how the misty, overcast weather made the whole day seem kind of eerie and surreal. At one point late in the afternoon bells from a nearby church started to play in the distance too, which only added to the effect. Throw in all the history of a place like Pinehurst and it made for one of the greatest atmospheres I can ever recall for a sporting event.

Payne started the day with a one shot lead and held it through most of the final round. But I remember there was a time late in the back nine when it all seemed to be slipping away from him. A year earlier he was in a similar position during the final round of the Open at Olympic and bogeyed three of last seven holes to help Lee Janzen steal the trophy. So when he bogeyed 15 and fell a shot behind Phil Mickelson, roped a 2-iron wide of the 16th green and then blasted the chip 25 feet past the hole, it looked like the Open was going to elude him again.

But then a funny thing happened. Facing a 25-foot double-breaker for par, with his chances fading, Payne poured his putt in the center of the hole. To this day it’s one of the gutsiest putts I’ve ever seen under pressure. And his reaction was awesome. He didn’t pump his fist or raise his putter. He didn’t even change his expression. Just a quick wave with his index finger and a stoic stare. All business. When Phil missed his 8-footer they were tied again with two holes to play.

On the par-3 17th, with the pressure mounting, Payne and Phil both stuffed their irons inside 8 feet as the crowd went crazy. Phil putted first and missed again. Payne buried his short birdie putt to reclaim the lead. Once again, his expression never changed. His face was pure determination.

And then, of course, there was the 18th hole. Payne missed the fairway, caught a terrible lie in the rough, and was forced to lay up with his second shot. Phil left himself a 30-footer for birdie after a great drive and a second shot that came up just short. Payne wedged to 15 feet. Phil hit a great birdie putt that just curled away from the hole as it was dying and tapped in for par. It looked for all the world like there was going to be a Monday playoff as Payne lined up his par putt.

Then suddenly, in an instant, it was all over. Payne made it. He made it! And finally, we saw all the emotion pour out of him. I remember him punching his fist through the air and screaming for joy. Grabbing his caddy by the head and basically yelling straight into his face. Consoling Phil on the 18th green.

It wasn’t his first major, or even his first US Open title, but at 42 years old you had the sense that this one might have meant more to him than any other. I remember the smile on his face and the satisfaction in his voice as he spoke about how had matured as a person and the perspective he had reached in his life. He was on top of the world and you couldn’t help but be happy for him. Four months later he was gone.

With the Open returning to Pinehurst this week, you can be certain that Payne Stewart will be on a lot of people’s minds. You could say, in one sense, that his presence will be sorely missed. And that’s true. But, in another sense, I think Payne Stewart’s presence is going to be all over the place down there. He may be gone but he’s certainly not forgotten.

One of the interesting things about that ’99 Open, as it pertains to 2005, is that so many big guns played well. Tiger, Phil and Vijay in particular were all in contention in ’99 with three holes to go. Vijay made a costly bogey at 16 and ended up finishing two shots back. Tiger hit an amazing shot into 16 and made birdie, a hole that barely 15% of the field was hitting in regulation, but gave it back with a short miss on 17 and ultimately finished two back as well. Phil, as documented above, had the lead on the 16th tee but missed short putts on 16 and 17 while Payne one-putted the last three greens to pull it out. There was also all the drama that week about Phil’s wife being nine months pregnant and due any day and how Phil had vowed to leave the tournament, regardless of the circumstances, if she went into labor.

So as we begin to handicap the field, keep in mind that three of the so-called “Big Four” all played Pinehurst very well the last time they were there. If you believe there are “horses for courses” that might be all the justification you need to stick with the favorites here. Still, let’s dig a little deeper and look at some criteria we might be able to use to determine who will struggle at Pinehurst and who could contend.

One of the first things you can usually do when trying to predict the winner of a US Open, or any major for that matter, is throw out the defending champion. In the last 65 years only two men, Ben Hogan and Curtis Strange, have successfully defended a US Open title. Retief Goosen, this year’s defending champ, is not only gunning for back-to-back wins, but three in five years. You’ve got to be an extremely special player to do that. I like the Goose but I don’t think he’s quite that good. Obviously has the game to win but he’s got a lot of history working against him.

Another thing you can usually do at the US Open is throw out the Europeans. It’s been 35 years since Tony Jacklin, the last Euro to win our national championship, won at Hazeltine in 1970. There have been a few close calls since then (Faldo in ’88, Monty in ’94 and ’97) but, in general, Europeans and the US Open just don’t mix. The only trouble with that theory is that a)on the law of averages alone you’d have to think that one of these years a European will end that streak, b)Pinehurst, with it’s crowned greens and emphasis on short game, seems like a rare Open course where Europeans could thrive, and c)there are specific Europeans that are playing well that seem to have the game to win an Open.

According to the website www.golfodds.com, the top three Europeans in the field are Sergio Garcia (20-1), Luke Donald (25-1) and Padraig Harrington (30-1). With all the personal problems he’s had this year I don’t think Harrington will be a big factor. Sergio and Donald, on the other hand, are both a little frisky at those prices. They both drive it straight (which is something I never thought I’d say about Sergio but the stats bear it out) and both have played well of late. Sergio comes in off a win last week and Donald’s been in the top 20 of every PGA event he’s entered this year except one, including a quiet tie for 3rd at The Masters.

The best price I can find on the board, however, might just be Scott Verplank at 60-1. Again, here’s another guy who drives it straight which, while maybe not as vital at the Open as it was 10 or 20 years ago, is still important. He’s a very good putter. He’s been consistent almost all year with top 20 finishes in 6 of his last 7 tournaments. He played pretty well at Pinehurst in ’99. He might not be the favorite in my mind but he’s certainly one of the best values in the field. Other darkhorses (guys listed at odds higher than 40-1) to consider are Mike Weir (top 5 finishes at the last two Opens and a reputation for playing the tough courses well) and Kenny Perry (two wins on the year and another straight driver).

But those are value plays. Who do I see actually winning the thing? Well, much as I hate to pick favorites, I can’t go against the big guns. Ernie Els would probably be my last choice of the big four at this point. Just not wild about the way he’s played this year so far. But he’s obviously capable, as the two US Opens already on his resume can attest.

So that leaves Vijay, Tiger and Phil, the three guys who battled Payne to the wire in ’99. I think all three of them will be in the hunt again. Betting against Tiger is always a perilous idea. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s going to win more majors than anybody over the next 5-10 years so anytime he’s in the field you have to like his chances. Vijay? Much as I can’t stand the guy he’s always in the mix. He hits it way too good to be out of contention.

But my pick is Phil. Maybe the story’s just too good to come true. The guy who played with Payne Stewart in ’99 and carried a beeper so he could leave the course, even if he was winning, to be with his pregnant wife, comes back to win the tournament at the same course six years later. It’s all too sappy and unrealistic. But strange things happen all the time. I’ve got a hunch things may come full circle for Phil on the 18th green Sunday evening.

Questions? Comments? Send feedback to Michael James at feedback@barstoolsports.com.