Commentary: Stewart
was a men amongst boys

By Ryan Finley,
Contributor

The Learjet he was on became an airborne morgue, continuing the flight plan despite a lack of living passengers. United States Air Force planes flew nearby as Stewart’s Lear jet crashed into the marshlands of South Dakota, intent on shooting the plane down if it came too close to a populated area.

Hardly the way for any man to die, much less a true sportsman like Stewart, a man who spoke his mind without being detestable, a man who signed autographs and cried on the 18th hole.

Stewart was perhaps more known for his off-the-field persona than his professional golfing career. His trademark knickers and love of professional football set Stewart aside from the seemingly endless cavalcades of country-clubbers with names like Davis Love III and Colin Montgomerie.

Many younger golf fans were surprised to see that he was only 42 years old.

“42, that’s it?,” University of Arizona student Greg Junge groaned.

“It just seems like he’s been around forever. Wow…that’s young.”

• Payne Stewart Dead at 42

Perhaps it wouldn’t be so shocking if it were, say, Albert Belle.

In an age where “professionals” such as Albert Belle chase down kids in their cars, Vince Coleman throws firecrackers at young fans, and Brett Saberhagen shoots the media with bleach, golfers are well-regarded as the most approachable athletes.

Among golfers, Stewart (in his trademark gear) was a crowd favorite, and rarely disappointed his loyal fans.

Stewart was a nice guy…to fans, at least.

Daniel Kurica of Baton Rouge, La., was one of several fans featured by ESPN.com the day of Stewart’s death.

“I was at the PGA Tour stop in New Orleans a few years ago and was following Payne,” he said.

“(Then) on the 12th hole, Payne hit an iron shot a few feet from the hole and let out a loud roar and said "About time!" Then he came over next to where I was standing and started to joke with the gallery. That is just the way I will remember Payne”.

Paul Briton of New York caddied for a foursome at a tournament in 1988 and remembered Stewart’s amicable nature.

“He would chat with me occasionally between holes and would say hello anytime he saw me walking the grounds the rest of the weekend,” Briton said. “He was the only golfer that actually took the time to find out my name that entire weekend.”

Justin Gee, another fan, characterized Payne Stewart through as a man who saw the big picture. “The most memorable moment of Payne's career was his historic putt at Pinehurst,” he said.

“This moment was characterized by both superior golf play and superior class in which he told Phil Mickelson that fatherhood was the best thing in the world.”

The Golf Network cancelled their evening programming to have a call-in show entitled “Remembering Payne”. On the show, a man from California called to express a story about Stewart.

Payne Stewart’s death will not canonize him, however.

Stewart was widely regarded as disagreeable by his peers and openly admitted that he wished he could have matured earlier. But, unlike other athletes, Stewart wasn’t an incredible jerk about it. He never threw his wife down stairs, as Lawrence Phillips did. He never attacked a media member, like Ryan Leaf did. He never cracked, talking about the ‘pain inside him’ in front of children at a camp, like Dennis Scott did. He just played…and waited to mature.

It seemed he had at Pinehurst. As Phil Mickelson was lining up a putt before losing to Stewart in the playoff, Payne clutched Mickelson’s wife, Amy, and later took the time to tell Mickelson how fatherhood was the best thing in the world.

It seems ironic that Cleveland Cavaliers’ forward Shawn Kemp has more than half a dozen illegitimate children that he wishes would go away while and Payne Stewart talks about fatherhood being the greatest thing on earth.

Stewart, who allegedly had found God and a sense of peace in recent years, has been taken from the children he loved so much.

To the golf community, Stewart represented an American original, a man who crossed over from cult icon to Davis Cup champion.

Payne’s death is not a tragedy for golf. He wasn’t Hogan or Woods or Crenshaw or Palmer. As golf fans, missing Payne Stewart is a selfish act.

Payne’s death is a truer tragedy for Chelsea and Aaron Stewart, who will forevermore only have memories of their dad to sustain them.