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Tour takes day off to remember Stewart Associated Press October 29 3:36pm ET | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- With Paul Azinger rolling up his pants in makeshift knickers, Payne Stewart was eulogized Friday as a buoyant and gracious man with a passion for his family, faith and the game he played like a champion.
"Payne Stewart loved life," Azinger said in a moving tribute that also brought laughter at times. "He was the life of every party." The two-time U.S. Open champion was among six people killed Monday when his Learjet soared uncontrolled across the heartland until running out of fuel and crashing into a field in South Dakota. Before beginning his eulogy, Azinger put on a tam o'shanter cap and rolled up his trousers to reveal a pair of argyle socks -- similar to Stewart's trademark knickers. Azinger joked that only Stewart could get him to wear a suit. "I felt pressure this morning knowing he'd be watching," he said. The church was filled with photographs of Stewart -- on the golf course and with his family -- as well as some of his trophies. Below the pulpit where Azinger spoke was the gold Ryder Cup, which normally never leaves PGA of America headquarters. There it sat, a standout on a table spread with some of Stewart's other prizes, including the Wanamaker trophy from his PGA triumph in 1989, and the U.S. Open trophy, which he won in spectacular fashion in June. Though all were special, the prize that meant the most to Stewart was the Ryder Cup, won in the greatest comeback in cup history last month by the United States for the first time since 1993 -- the last time Stewart was on the U.S. team. "Payne Stewart was a vicious competitor. He only played to win," Azinger said. But he added that Stewart's attitude had changed recently after finding his faith. "Only God can change hearts," Azinger said. "Payne became gracious in victory and gracious in defeat." Azinger broke into tears as he said, "Goodbye, Payne. We loved you and we miss you, but we know we will see you again." Stewart's widow, Tracey, spoke of how she fell for him when she met him. "From the night of our first date, I can honestly tell you this is the man I wanted to share the rest of my life with," she said. She spoke of his devotion to their son and daughter, actively involved in their budding interest in sports. "You will always be my soulmate and my best friend. We love you. Let the party in heaven begin," she concluded. As she left the church, Stewart's fellow golfers lined each side of the center aisle -- a protective wall for her to pass through. Displayed along with three of golf's most prized possessions were painful reminders of what Stewart's death leaves behind -- photos of his family on a rafting trip, and one picture taken just nine days ago with 10-year-old Aaron at the annual Father-Child tournament before the Disney Classic, Stewart's final tournament. His children contributed a set of buck teeth, one of Stewart's favorite props in his role as practical joker. He once put them in on the driving range and told Mark O'Meara that he had walked into the path of someone's swing. "I always enjoyed Payne. I never knew if he was kidding half the time," Jack Nicklaus said after the service. "He always had a needle out to jab, but he was having fun. He had fun when he played golf, and he had fun when he was serious." Chuck Cook, the teacher who helped fine-tune a relaxed, graceful swing that was nearly as recognizable as his knickers, also spoke at the service. Cook recalled a trip to Pebble Beach before the U.S. Open in 1992, where Stewart was the defending champion. They went out to the 18th hole late that night and sat on a retaining wall with the trophy between them. Waves lapped against the shore below as they talked for hours and sipped a bottle of Cristal champagne. The U.S. Open returns to Pebble Beach next year, without a defending champion. "There won't be a U.S. Open trophy, but there will be a bottle of Cristal," Cook said of his plan to return. "I'm going to go to the wall and talk to my friend about life. I love Payne Stewart and I miss him." About 100 players who came to the service from the Tour Championship in Houston and the Southern Farm Bureau Classic in Mississippi met the family after the service and then boarded planes. Both tournaments resume Saturday. On the European Tour, players at the Volvo Masters in Jerez, Spain, paused for a moment on the 18th green following Friday's round to remember Stewart. "We all have been blessed by knowing and spending time with Payne," Bernhard Langer said before the players and spectators fell silent. Stewart's impact on golf went far beyond his 18 victories around the world, including two U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship. He was a member of five Ryder Cup teams and showed a passion for the matches like few others. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem recalled one of the last conversations he had with Stewart, right after the United States stormed from behind to win the Ryder Cup in Boston. "He said he had eight years left on the PGA Tour and then was going to play a full Senior Tour schedule," Finchem said. "He was fully together and understood exactly where he was. He was in a crystal ball and could see where he was going. And I was delighted to know those knickers were going to be out here for a long time." The clothes were but a small part of the Stewart legacy. He had the kind of flamboyant personality to wear the traditional golf garb -- the knickers and tam o'shanter cap often wore by Ben Hogan. At times, Stewart would wear a tie during pro-ams, which is what Walter Hagen and other great players in the early 20th century wore. "He was meticulous in the way he presented himself as a PGA Tour player," Finchem said. "He felt so strongly about the importance to the presentation of our sport. He is in many ways irreplaceable from that perspective. He was a unique figure in sports and in golf." For style alone, Finchem compared him to Hagen, "a player who had this bigness, this presence about him, who dressed for the game, who brought excitement to it." But there was a substance to Stewart, as well. He was perhaps the most successful player in the U.S. Open, the toughest championship in golf, during the 1990s. Stewart won his first U.S. Open in 1991, beating Scott Simpson in an 18-hole playoff at Hazeltine in Minnesota. He also won in June at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, one of the most dramatic finishes in the 105-year history of the national championship. He had two other close calls in the U.S. Open, losing by two strokes to Lee Janzen at Baltusrol in 1993 and again finishing second to Janzen at The Olympic Club in San Francisco a year ago, when he failed to hold a four-stroke lead going into the final round. "Don't worry about me, boys," Stewart said at the time. "I'll be back." He kept his word.
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Numb Love sets Tour Championship pace Players offer tearful tribute to Stewart Roberts: Stewart showed his courage in reaching out to others Estes pays tribute to Stewart with 15-foot drive Investigators fear cause of crash will never be known PGA Tour to take Friday off for Stewart memorial Players try to cope with Stewart's death Stewart's legacy: More than just clothes made the man Farrey: Stewart's death leaves a huge void Shock, sadness, remembrances from Stewart's peers Stewart's wife watched plane reports on TV, brother-in-law says Stewart's death heightens Daly's fear of flying Neighbors, friends quick to respond Chat wrap: Andy North on Stewart Agent, a former Alabama QB, killed in Stewart plane crash
  Payne Stewart memorial serviceRealVideo: 28.8 Payne Stewart MemorialRealVideo: 28.8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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