On Father’s Day 1999, Phil Mickelson and Payne Stewart stood on the final hole
of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Mickelson had a 25 foot birdie putt to tie for the lead. Stewart’s
ball was 15 feet from the cup for par.
Mickelson’s birdie putt came to rest 6 inches from the hole. Payne Stewart stood over his 15 foot putt with a w.w.j.d. (“What Would Jesus Do?) bracelet on his wrist, a gift from his son a few months earlier. The putt broke to the right and dropped into the center of the cup making Stewart the 1999 US Open champion.
Mickelson
had left his wife, Amy, at home expecting the birth of their daughter at any
moment in order to compete. He carried a
pager in case she went into labor. Winner of 13 PGA tour events, he had never
won a major.
Payne
Stewart joined the PGA tour a decade before, a charismatic playboy wearing
knickers and a tam-o-shanter hat. He burst
on the scene with a swagger, chewing bubble gum, caustic and arrogant. In 1989 he refused to shake hands with Tom
Kite when he lost in a playoff for the Tour Championship. But something happened to Payne Stewart in
the mid-90s. His golf game suffered. His
best friend, Paul Azinger, struggled with cancer. When Stewart came to faith in Jesus
Christ through the influence of his children, his conduct and values changed.
One
of the most memorable photos in sports history is the image of Payne Stewart taking
Phil Mickelson’s face in his hands and looking intently into his eyes trying to
encourage his competitor in defeat.
Knowing what Mickelson was going through at home, Stewart said. “Phil,
there’s nothing like being a father!” Amanda
Mickelson was born the following day.
Four
months later Payne Stewart was killed when his private jet crashed in a field
near Mina, SD. More than 3,000 people
attended his funeral at First Baptist Church, Orlando, FL. His wife, Tracey, spoke. ''When I met Payne, I thought he was the
most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life,'' she said. ''After 18 years of
marriage, he was still the most beautiful man I had ever seen, not because of
the way he looked on the outside anymore, but because of what he was on the
inside.'' Everyone at the funeral received a w.w.j.d. bracelet.
Phil Mickelson went on to win 42 events on the
PGA tour including 5 majors: 3 Masters, the PGA and the British Open. He has never won the US Open. This week, with age cutting short his chances
of winning the one event that has eluded him, Mickelson chose to miss the US Open in order to attend his daughter’s graduation at Pacific Ridge High
School in Carlsbad, CA. Amanda, now 18
and the school president, will deliver the valedictorian address. Mickelson said it was not a hard
decision.
"It's a tournament that I want to win
the most," Mickelson said. "The only way to win is if you play and
have a chance. But this is one of those moments where you look back on life and
you just don't want to miss it. I'll be really glad that I was there and
present."
Such a wonderful article, Bill. Thank you. John Adams
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this, Bill. One of my prized possessions is a video of the memorial service for Payne Stewart at FBC Orlando.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I remember Phil being interviewed early in the week and asked what would he do if he was in the lead on Saturday and he got a call that his wife was in labor. He stated that was easy. He would drop out and head home.
Two men who have/had priorities in the proper place.