I didn’t like Payne Stewart, at first.

After all, I am a fan of Mike Reid, which is admittedly a bit unusual, but there it is.

I didn’t like how Stewart handled himself in his victory over Reid in the 1989 PGA Championship. I felt Stewart was remarkably immature that day, and according to the press accounts that followed, I was in good company.

It wasn’t as if Stewart was a complete jerk. His prior donation of his entire winner’s check from the 1987 Bay Hill Classic for a local hospital was impressive. On that and other occasions I also saw signs that he deeply loved his wife and children, which is the best and only way to be as a husband and father.

All the same, for most of Stewart’s career I had the distinct impression that while he was a very talented golfer, he had quite a bit of growing up to do.

My attitude about Stewart started to change when he lost the 1993 U.S. Open to Lee Janzen at Baltusrol. Stewart was remarkably gracious that day, as he was five years later in losing to Janzen again at the U.S. Open at Olympic Hills. By then Stewart showed other signs of significant maturity.

My admiration for Stewart grew as I learned of his deepening religious faith and observed his increasing ability to handle pressure, especially in his victory in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Somehow it seemed completely fitting that a now-mature golfer, whose famous yet gentlemanly attire so well matched the old Ross course, found himself the winner of that particular Open.

I know where I was and what I was doing when Kennedy was shot, Nixon resigned, the Challenger blew up, and O.J. was acquitted. To that odd collection I can now add Stewart’s frozen death in a rented Lear jet on October 25, 1999.

Perhaps because of the intense media coverage of the accident, I didn’t rush out to read Larry Guest’s biography of Stewart when it first came out several months ago.

It’s well worth reading, now just over a year from Stewart’s death.

Guest was extremely well placed to write this moving tribute. The Orlando sportswriter knew Stewart and many of Payne’s close friends from years of covering the PGA Tour. His reputation helped open conversational doors that might not have opened for others during those first painful months.

The book’s structure varies from the usual sports biography. It’s similar to an extended obituary, combined with the sort of stories often heard during wakes and funerals. The framing device works well.

The first part opens with an edited interview with Tracy Stewart, Payne’s amazing wife. Her poise and inner strength in the immediate aftermath of the accident were clearly inspirational to her family and friends, as well as those watching the funeral on television.

The book then shifts to the accident itself. Guest gives a short course in how the private aviation industry works. He then details the possible causes of the accident based on the National Transportation Safety Board records and the military pilots who followed the jet to its eventual crash in South Dakota.

From there the story changes to the many ways in which the news of Stewart’ death staggered his family and close friends, and then covers the funeral services in which so many contributed so much.

The second part of the book includes funny and not-so-funny stores about Payne, primarily off the golf course. Guest begins to show the progression in Stewart’s passage away from sometimes antic, sometimes arrogant behavior to a better way of living.

In the third part, Guest delves into Stewart’s maturing as a professional golfer, finishing with his Pinehurst win and his classy contributions in the 1999 Ryder Cup.

The final segment focuses on Stewart’s spiritual growth, and his increasing interest in charity. In his last few years, Stewart clearly understood and took action to show that real and lasting contributions to one’s fellow man derive from how one uses personal accomplishments to help others.

A story about growth and redemption is not what one normally expects when reading about professional golfers. Larry Guest’s poignant character study makes it a central theme for his biography of Payne Stewart. It’s a nice legacy.

Review date: December 26, 2000

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The Payne Stewart Story

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