Fifteen Years Later: Payne Stewart, Phil Mickelson and the Moment That Made Me Love Golf

This month marks the 15^th anniversary of one of the greatest major golf tournaments I’ve ever seen; the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst in North Carolina, where next week’s Open also takes place. It also marks the anniversary of the very first golf tournament that I have any recollection of ever seeing.  Thus, that tournament played a big role in my golf fandom today. Looking back, and until this week that’s not something I’ve ever done, it’s also maybe the most tragic tournament I’ve ever seen, as well.

I don’t remember too many particulars. I can’t give a detailed hole-by-hole remembrance. What I do remember was I was an 11-year old boy watching from my living room in small Oakland, Ark. I remember the key players: a 42-year old funny looking veteran with two previous major titles under his belt and an exciting, young golfer who’d yet to win a major and would go five more years before he did. The vet was Payne Stewart, 1989 PGA champ and 1991 U.S. Open champ. He was funny looking because of his throwback attire featuring knickers, high socks and ivy newsboy cap. His look, along with infectious personality made him a fan-favorite. The youngster was Phil Mickelson, also a fan-favorite, which he still is to this day, thankfully with five major titles now to his legacy.

I remember this tournament almost more for its storyline than I do for the shots or winner – even though both are unforgettable. I remember Stewart and Mickelson being in a tight fight for the entire fourth round, and Mickelson having to worry about the possibility of an 18-hole playoff on Monday, because his wife, Amy, was going to give birth to their first born at any moment. I remember the final hole, where Stewart had a 15-foot par attempt to win his second U.S. Open, after taking the lead with a birdie on the previous hole, and the dramatics of the situation knowing that if he didn’t sink it there would be a Monday playoff. I remember Stewart sinking the putt and his celebration with his arm stretched out straight in a fist pump and one of his legs thrust into the air behind him. One of the all-time great golf images, in my opinion. Then, what I remember most was Stewart embracing Mickelson after the match and telling Mickelson that even though he’d lost the U.S. Open what he was about to experience with the birth of his first child would be so much greater. The greatest moment of his life, in fact, and by the way, this all took place on Father's Day. It’s a moment that I’m sure brought tears to the eyes of many watching and still will today in remembrance. 

Part of why this event is capable of bringing tears to the eyes 15 years later has to do with what happened just four months after Stewart was crowned U.S. Open champion. On Oct. 25, 1999 I was watching one of the local Springfield, Mo. television stations, Springfield was not only the city of my local television networks, but also Payne Stewart’s hometown, when they interrupted regular programming with the tragic news that a plane carrying Payne Stewart and five others had crashed in nowhere South Dakota. Despite the plane crashing in South Dakota, the National Transportation Safety Board later declared that Stewart and the others on the flight had actually died shortly after takeoff in Orlando, Fla. of hypoxia from a loss of cabin pressure.

Stewart’s death was one of the earliest memories I have of losing a great and beloved champion of a sport I loved. And, looking back on the 1999 U.S. Open that occurred 15 years ago and the tragic death of Stewart that followed just four months later I can’t help but think that without that day and that great battle between Stewart and Mickelson and the sportsmanship and greatness of humanity shown by the vet and the young gun afterward that I might not be the golf fan I am today. Turns out I owe an awful lot to the great Payne Stewart. I’m just glad that a 15^th anniversary of a great sporting event and the sport’s return to Pinehurst next week could remind of that fact.    

CBS disrespects PGA Tour, golf fans by switching coverage

I’m sure some of you might remember a few months back when I berated NBC for forcing the PGA Tour to move up starts times so that they could finish a round of a tournament before the start of a Notre Dame college football game. I viewed NBC’s move as disrespectful to the PGA Tour and the sport of golf. 

Well, now CBS joins NBC in the growing pool of TV networks that are disrespecting the sport. During the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open on CBS on Sunday, Kyle Stanley below a huge 6-stroke lead over Brandt Snedeker and the two were going to have to finish in a playoff, which is always an exciting finish to a golf tournament. However, CBS decided to switch coverage of the tournament over to the Golf Channel, which far fewer people across the country have, for the playoff because “60 Minutes” was starting.

Thus, many people enraptured in a great and close tournament missed the ending because of the network’s dumb and disrespectful decision. It’s is ludicrous for CBS to move the coverage of the tournament to another network for the start of a show that can easily be pushed back, by the way “60 Minutes” is pushed back almost every week during the NFL season when NFL games run long. The network shouldn’t treat the sport of golf any differently than it does the NFL, even though I’m obviously aware the NFL draws many more viewers than the PGA Tour. CBS should have a little more respect for the PGA Tour and more respect for those fans not fortunate enough to have the Golf Channel who they turned their backs on Sunday afternoon.

NBC Degrades PGA Tour By Forcing it to Move Times for Notre Dame Football

This probably doesn’t seem like a big deal to most sports fans and many will probably think that I’m making much ado about nothing, but I find it highly ridiculous and inappropriate of NBC to make the PGA Tour move up the tee times for the third round of their FedEx Cup Playoffs event the BMW Championship because the network wants the round completed by 2:30 p.m., when the Notre Dame/Michigan State game is set to kick off on the network.

I know that NBC has shown Notre Dame home games dating back to 1991, and they are somewhat considered America’s team because of this (though I doubt many non-Notre Dame fans care at this point, because of how poorly Notre Dame has played of late or rather of long), but shouldn’t PGA Tour playoffs trump week three of the college football season? Especially when the matchup is likely going to see the network’s beloved Fighting Irish start the season 0-3 to the number 15 ranked Spartans.

Some would say that this move by NBC is good in that it will give fans the chance to see both events. Others will say that the football game will draw more viewers and ratings are all that is important to networks. I can’t disagree with both of these aspects, because, well, they’re true.

However, I do think that NBC’s decision to almost force the PGA Tour to schedule their tee times earlier, so that the tournament could end by 2:30 is degrading to the PGA Tour and the sport of golf. By the way, NBC has known about this scheduling issue for months now, so why did they just bring it up late in the week? Also, why couldn’t they just start the Notre Dame/Michigan State game on their sister sports network Versus?

If I were PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem I would’ve put my sport and athletes first over what the network carrying the coverage of it wanted. The PGA Tour doesn’t have to kowtow to NBC and Finchem should have told NBC Sports head Mark Lazarus tough. Yes, this may not sound like much of a deal to many fans, but NBC Sports effectively just told the PGA Tour and golf fans all around the country and world just how much the sport means to them, and that’s nothing in comparison to a relatively unimportant college football game.