ESPN.com - Golf Online - US Open Men 2000 - Players fire off tribute to Stewart

Reuters
Thursday, June 15

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- A "21-tee" salute was fired off the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach into Carmel Cove early Wednesday morning in a tribute to Payne Stewart, the 1999 U.S. Open champion who was killed in a plane accident last October.


	Paul Azinger and Tracey Stewart recalled the personal side of Payne Stewart.

Twenty prominent players lined up along the fairway with Stewart's caddie, Mike Hicks, at the front and on command simultaneously struck shots over the cliff, the white golf balls soaring high above the mist rising off the waters.

It was Hicks who Stewart lifted into the air in a tight bear hug after sinking a 15-foot putt at the last hole to clinch his unforgettable Open triumph at Pinehurst.

Another wave of players followed with another array of shots to end the tribute to the two-time Open champion, whose plane flew out of control last October as he and five others crashed in a distant South Dakota field on a private jet flight bound from Florida to Texas.

Players huddled together afterward, some overcome with emotion.

Tears reddened the eyes of Spaniards Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia, who competed against Stewart in last September's hotly-contested Ryder Cup.

Phil Mickelson, who battled Stewart to the final hole at Pinehurst before losing by a stroke, and Paul Azinger were both visibly moved and exchanged hugs later with Tracey Stewart, the late golfer's wife.

Tom Lehman made his way down to the beach for some quiet reflection, as did Bobby Clampett, clutching a bible.

The "21-tee" salute followed a stirring tribute at the 18th green delivered by Azinger, a close friend of Stewart, Tracey Stewart and PGA Tour Bible studies leader Larry Moody.

The ceremony drew a crowd of thousands, who watched from the stands above the green.

"If golf is an art, Payne Stewart was the color," said Azinger of the player instantly recognized by most fans for the knickers he wore on the course and his trademark tam o'shanter cap.

Azinger, who paused several times during his address to choke back tears, quoted Stewart as saying: "I want to make sure my life is special while I'm here. You will be remembered, but will you be missed?"

"We are here today because we miss Payne Stewart," Azinger said. Chris Perry wore knickers and the initials PS stitched into his baseball cap to honor Stewart.

"We're never going to forget Payne," said Perry. "I don't think there will ever be closure. A lot of us struggle with 'why?' " Stewart's final triumph, at Pinehurst, was especially emotional for him as he erased the pain of losing the 1998 championship at Olympic in San Francisco at the final hole.

Hope was the theme of Tracey Stewart's remarks.

"Payne refused to allow failure to rob his hope," she said. "Payne tried to turn losing into a learning experience and try to do better. If Payne were here today, he'd say, 'Don't ever give up, don't lose hope.' "

Stewart, who was 42, is also survived by two children, Chelsea, 14, and Aaron, 11.

The 2000 Open is the first U.S. championship to be played without its defending champion since Ben Hogan was forced to skip the 1949 tournament after a near-fatal car crash.