Payne Stewart celebrates after holing the winning putt at the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. | Stephen Jaffe/Getty Images
The Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation has terrific plans to celebrate Stewart’s legacy at the 2024 U.S. Open, and you can be a part of it.
This week’s U.S. Open marks the 25th anniversary of when Payne Stewart triumphed at Pinehurst No. 2, creating one of the most indelible moments golf has ever seen.
Sadly, six months later, Stewart died in a plane crash, a heartbreaking accident that is still felt by professional golfers and everyone within the sport today.
But his legacy continues to live on through his Foundation, the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation, which provides young children an opportunity to learn how to play golf.
It introduces the sport to kids as young as three—when many start playing soccer, tee-ball, or basketball.
But these youngsters are not playing at municipal courses or at country clubs.
They learn the game at camps, parks, and schools across the country, using modified learning equipment designed by the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation to help them learn the game.
“It’s beginner golf,” explained Kelly McCammon, the Founder of the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation.
“Think of every sport. Soccer has a smaller ball and a smaller field. Basketball has a smaller ball and a lower hoop. Same thing for tee-ball. But for some reason, the golf world never went there. A real club and a real ball is very advanced. You can learn with it, obviously, but it’s just harder to do so. You need more money, time, and better instructions.”
Golf has long had an accessibility issue, whether because of the game’s difficulty, lack of means, or limited access. You do not need to learn how to hit a golf ball on a golf course. But through the Foundation, you can do so in an elementary school gym, a local YMCA, or a local park.
Yet, the Foundation relies on fundraising to help support its efforts to grow the game among America’s youth.
So, this week, during the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, the Foundation has created a fun Payne Stewart trivia game online. Fans from around the world can participate in this exciting venture, but to do so, they must make a donation of any amount.
The trivia game opens on Thursday morning when the first round of the U.S. Open begins. The game will then close on Sunday evening after the final putt drops.
During this span, people can play as many times as they like. After each day, the top three players with the highest scores will be entered into the drawing for prizes.
Prizes include a signed U.S. Open flag from Peter Jacobsen, one of Stewart’s best friends, and apparel from the newly released Payne Stewart Collection clothing line.
But this venture expands further than online. The Foundation will also celebrate the legacy of Stewart on the ground this week at Pinehurst.
On Wednesday, Jun. 12, before the U.S. Open begins, Jacobsen, a 7-time PGA Tour winner and 2-time Ryder Cup participant, will host his Match Play show, a live trivia event. This one, of course, will be all about Stewart. All proceeds will benefit the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation.
Photo by Stan Badz/PGA Tour
Peter Jacobsen poses for a photo after being named the winner of the Payne Stewart Award in 2013.
But Jacobsen is much more than Stewart’s best friend and a former PGA Tour pro. He spent numerous years working for NBC Sports and the Golf Channel, often evoking his humor and laid-back personality into the telecasts.
He is also an accomplished guitar player, having taught himself at the age of 12. Growing up, Jacobsen listened to a wide variety of artists, but he lists Jethro Tull, Huey Lewis, Bruce Hornsby, and Led Zeppelin as some of his favorites. Through this love of music, Jacobsen connected with Stewart on a different level in the early 1980s.
They quickly became best friends shortly thereafter.
These two, along with fellow PGA Tour pro Mark Lye, then founded Jake Trout and the Flounders. This golf-centric trio went on to record two albums, which primarily consisted of cover songs with golf lyrics.
“It all started with Dean Beaman, the commissioner of the tour at the time,” Jacobsen said in an exclusive interview with Playing Through.
“He asked us to put together a group to play for the players at one of the players’ dinners. So that’s when we, that’s when we put together our little band.”
Jacobsen will undoubtedly share anecdotes like this at his ‘Payne-centric’ Match Play on Wednesday ahead of the U.S. Open. It is going to be a blast.
Golf fans will not only have fun, but they will also leave having learned so much about Stewart’s life, a life filled with professionalism, grace, humor, and integrity.
Steve Schaefer/AFP via Getty Images
Payne Stewart embraces Phil Mickelson at the 1999 U.S. Open.
“When I reflect on Payne, the first thing that comes to my mind is how he could go from being deadly serious, just ultra-focused, to then something funny would happen on the golf course and it would completely change his personality, and he flashed that silly grin that he had,” Jacobsen added.
“He could go from serious to fun at the drop of a hat. It was really interesting to see that because a lot of guys take a while to warm up, either being serious or having fun, but he can do it at the drop of a hat.”
No better example of this came in 1999. After holing the winning putt on the 18th green at Pinehurst, Stewart went right over to playing partner Phil Mickelson and said, “You are going to be a great father.”
Mickelson and his wife, Amy, welcomed their first daughter, Amanda, the following day.
Stewart has always been about family, which helps explain why his Foundation does such great work for America’s youth today.
So, when watching the U.S. Open this week, you will see numerous tributes about Stewart and his memory. But remember that his legacy still lives on, and you can help it to do so, too.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
