Payne Stewart

Payne Stewart (January 30, 1957 - October 25, 1999) was an American golfer.

Born in Springfield, Missouri, he attended Southern Methodist University; a year later he joined the PGA TOUR. He won eleven Tour events, including the 1989 PGA Championship, and the US Open in 1991 and 1999. He was a two-time winner of the Hassan II Trophy in Morocco. He represented the United States on five Ryder Cup teams and three World Cup teams.

He was always popular with fans, especially for his stylish clothing, and was reputed to have the biggest wardrobe of all professional golfers. He was a continual target for photographers especially because of his rakish tam o'shanter caps and elegant patterned trousers which were a combination of plus fours and knickerbockers.

A month after his United States team rallied to win the Ryder Cup in Brookline, Massachusetts, Stewart lost his life in an airplane crash in rural South Dakota. He was flying from Orlando to Texas when it is believed the plane suffered a sudden loss of cabin pressure. The plane, on autopilot, continued flying until it ran out of fuel and crashed from a great height.

Among the five other people aboard the plane was Bruce Borland, a highly regarded golf architect with the Jack Nicklaus golf course design company.