Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

LV players remember Payne as a ‘good guy’

The news of Payne Stewart's death on Monday hit close to home for several Las Vegans who had come in contact with the two-time U.S. Open champion throughout his remarkable career.

Senior PGA Tour regular Jim Colbert, who twice beat Stewart's father, William, in the semifinals of the Missouri State Amateur in the 1960s, said he had known Payne Stewart for more than 35 years.

"I knew Payne from the time he was 6 or 7 years old," Colbert said. "There are so many jerks running around in this world, you wonder why it has to happen to such a good guy; he was truly one of the good guys. It's just a tragedy, there's no reason to it, that I can see."

Colbert said his most vivid memory of Stewart came during the 1996 Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge at Lake Las Vegas.

"When I was playing Payne in the Wendy's, (the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour) were all even and it came right to the last hole and then he beat me by a stroke," Colbert recalled. "He said to me, 'I'm just getting even for my dad.' "

When Stewart went through a slump in his career earlier this decade, Colbert said he knew exactly what was causing Stewart's struggles.

"Payne and his dad were very, very close and when Payne lost his dad a few years ago, everybody wondered what happened to Payne -- he didn't play very good for a couple of years," Colbert said. "I think he was hurting over his dad, he was that close to his dad.

"Then, he got to where he was really having fun ... he was having fun with his kids, he was in love with his wife, his life was pretty happy ... and then this happens. It's just a tragedy."

UNLV head golf coach Dwaine Knight coached against Stewart when Knight was at the University of New Mexico and Stewart was playing at Southern Methodist University in the late 1970s. Like Colbert, Knight said it appeared to him as if Stewart was finally beginning to enjoy his life.

"It's very sad," Knight said. "I know how intense a competitor he was. I had great respect for his drive and his passion for the game, and sometimes he did that at the expense of his family.

"In the last couple of years, I felt he really got his priorities a lot more in line. People will talk about his peace of mind now that he's gone ... and I think that's really true. I think he was able to prioritize his faith, family and career in this last year and it's sad he can't enjoy that now that he had come to that state of mind."

Knight had a chance to spend some time with Stewart in 1997 when Knight was selected to captain the United States team in the Palmer Cup matches, an amateur version of the Ryder Cup matches.

"When I captained the United States Palmer Cup team, it was Payne Stewart who gave us all our uniforms," Knight said. "He gave me a lot of encouragement in coaching that team and it's something I'll always remember.

"I talked to Payne and several of the people who had played on Ryder Cup teams, just to get a feel for what it was like. I remember how he wanted to impress upon the kids the importance of tradition and the importance of (Arnold) Palmer's name on the event, and that's why he was supporting it."

Charlie Baron, tournament manager of the Las Vegas Invitational, said he will remember Stewart for the way he conducted himself off the golf course as much as for his accomplishments on it.

"He was a real gentleman," Baron said. "Whenever he saw you out at another tournament, he would always come over and chat a little bit about how things were going in Vegas. It's a big loss for his family, his fans and for the sport."

Stewart had played in the Las Vegas Invitational nine times since he joined the PGA Tour in 1981, but did not play in this year's event because of a commitment to play in Europe. His best finish in Las Vegas was a third-place tie in 1984.

Stewart will forever be remembered for his dramatic putt on the final hole of the U.S. Open this summer to beat Phil Mickelson by one shot and give him his second Open and third major title, and his play in helping the U.S. regain the Ryder Cup in September.

That, Knight said, is a fitting legacy.

"He did leave on a very high note, being United States Open champion, which was very, very precious to him, and winning the Ryder Cup," Knight said. "He was fortunate in that he enjoyed the highs of the sport in his last years."

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