Payne's Place: in the heart

Memories of the late Payne Stewart are the focus at the U.S. Open, one of his greatest triumphs.

By BOB HARIG

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 11, 2000

One of the enduring memories of last year's U.S. Open is Payne Stewart holing the winning 15-foot par putt on the final green, punching his fist through the air, then catching the caddie who jumped into his arms with joy.

As satisfying as winning a second U.S. Open -- and his third major championship -- was to Stewart, Mike Hicks also took great pleasure in the win.

Although he didn't hit a single shot, Hicks was there for every one of Stewart's 279 strokes, just as he had been the previous year when Stewart blew a four-shot final-round lead to Lee Janzen, and just as he had been in 1991, when Stewart captured his first Open title in a playoff over Scott Simpson.

For 12 years, Hicks caddied for Stewart. Their relationship went far beyond a working one. They were friends whose families socialized together and who had come to respect one another a great deal.

Four months after that second U.S. Open championship, Hicks was preparing for another tournament with Stewart, checking yardages at the Champions Club in Houston, where the Tour Championship would take place in a few days.

While walking the course, Hicks received a call on his cell phone. His wife, Meg, said he should get to a television. There he watched with horror and disbelief as the news of Stewart's private plane flying out of control was reported. Hicks tried Stewart's cell phone over and over. He kept hoping to hear Stewart on the other end, telling him it was all a joke.

Of course, it was not.

Stewart and five others died on Oct. 25 when the leased plane in which they were flying apparently lost cabin pressure and later crashed in a remote part of South Dakota.

Hicks has been mourning ever since -- and bracing for this week. The U.S. Open is headed to Pebble Beach, one of Stewart's favorite courses, and he won't be there to defend his title.

"It's been tough to deal with for me and for everyone," Hicks said in an interview from his home in Mebane, N.C. "I'm trying to prepare myself for the week, but I'm not sure what it is going to entail. Obviously the memories of Payne are going to be vivid. He is going to be the focus. You'll see him a lot.

"It'll be tough. I've been thinking about him a lot lately -- not that I haven't thought about him every day since he died -- but you see his face popping up more and more now. I've got a feeling it's not going to be easy."

Stewart has been on the minds of fans and players at nearly every PGA Tour stop this year, but the tributes will take on even more meaning this week as the U.S. Open celebrates its 100th championship.

The United States Golf Association plans to honor Stewart in several ways. There will be a dinner Tuesday night for past champions and their spouses. Tracey Stewart is expected to attend.

An early morning service in remembrance of Stewart will take place on the course Tuesday or Wednesday.

More than 25,000 commemorative plaid ribbons will be sold for a minimum $1 donation, with the money going to charity. The ribbons will be available at "Payne's Place," a concession area just outside the main entrance.

And the traditional pairing of the defending U.S. Open, British Open and U.S. Amateur champions for the first two rounds will have to be altered. Jack Nicklaus, 60, a four-time champion who could be playing in his last Open, will take Stewart's place alongside British Open champion Paul Lawrie and Amateur winner David Gossett.

"I'm actually looking forward to playing the U.S. Open," said Bradenton's Paul Azinger, one of Stewart's closest friends, who gave a moving eulogy at Stewart's memorial service. "I love Pebble Beach. I'll enjoy the memory of Payne. I'm trying to enjoy the memory of Payne and Van Ardan and Robert Fraley (the agents for Stewart and Azinger who also were on the plane) and all the people we lost last year. I miss all those guys a great deal, as do their families. We all miss them.

"But you get to the point where you want to enjoy the memory of those people. I get asked all the time, "What do you want to be remembered for?' I don't care if I'm remembered for anything, I just want to be missed. I want to live my life so that people miss me."

After Stewart's death, Azinger expressed concern about his motivation to play again. Then he won the Sony Open in Hawaii, his first tournament of 2000 and his first victory since being diagnosed with cancer in 1993.

"I think with all that happened in the off-season, I didn't get the same kind of joy from winning," Azinger said. "There was certainly a great amount of satisfaction. But some of the joy of that was lost. I am still sad. If I were to win (now), I think I'd feel a little bit better because I'm a little further away from the tragedy."

Hicks, who was with Stewart when he won his first major championship at the PGA in 1989 and his first Open at Hazeltine in 1991, counts last year's win at Pinehurst as the highlight of his nearly 20 years in caddying. Stewart was the only player in the field to break par for the tournament, and he holed a 15-footer on the last hole -- the longest putt to win an Open on the final hole in tournament history.

"He could get himself to a level of focus that he couldn't do in a regular PGA Tour event," said Hicks, 38. "For whatever reason, I think it was because he was such a patriotic guy. He was red, white and blue all the way. It was a very important tournament for him to win. And he got himself to that level that week.

"He had a game plan, a way to play the U.S. Open. Most guys who play well at the Open stay away from the big number. Payne would take his medicine. He didn't try to hit a career shot. You don't want to compound your troubles by hitting it in the rough twice, and he was good about that.

"The two Opens he won, he didn't make any doubles. You've got to stay away from the double bogeys. That was his game plan. That's the way he played this tournament."

Hicks believes a poor tournament the week before the Open, missing the cut in Memphis, helped Stewart. "He kind of got on me when we got to Pinehurst, because I really didn't say much to him the last nine holes at Memphis. We were both thinking about Pinehurst.

"But it was a blessing. If we had made the cut, we'd have been there until Monday and played only two practice rounds. But I walked the course on Saturday and we played Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. He took Wednesday off. You have to be mentally rested. You can't burn yourself out before the tournament because it's going to take its toll on you. If you run yourself into the ground, it's going to really hurt on the weekend. It was all part of the plan."

After Stewart's death, Hicks considered giving up his job. "But what else am I going to do at this stage of my life?" he said. "Twelve years is a long time with a guy, and I didn't know if I wanted to go through the process of getting to know another player."

But Hicks hooked up with Bob Estes, who honored Stewart at last year's Tour Championship by hitting his opening drive with a putter -- covering the same distance of Stewart's winning Open putt.

Hicks will caddie for Estes at this week's Open.

"The healing process takes a long time," Hicks said. "Especially with the success (Stewart) had, most places you go there are memories. It's going to take a long time to get over it, and I don't know that I'll ever get over it."

-- 100TH U.S. OPEN: Thursday-Sunday, Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links.

In print

Three books about Payne Stewart recently have been released to coincide with the U.S. Open, which Stewart won last year at Pinehurst

Payne Stewart, The Authorized Biography, by Tracey Stewart, Payne's wife of 18 years.

The Payne Stewart Story, by Larry Guest, Orlando Sentinel columnist.

I Remember Payne Stewart, by Michael Arkush, a compilation of testimonials from those who knew Stewart.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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