The flat cap. The plus fours. The long socks. They all complemented that iconic leaned fist-pump Payne Stewart performed in 1999 at Pinehurst.
The 42-year-old had beaten Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods to win the US Open at one of the great championship venues.
“Just because of the people up there trying to win,” his caddie Mike Hicks said, talking about what made this victory so special.
“You looked at that leaderboard on Sunday – Duval who was No.1 in the world. Vijay Singh, Tiger just coming in. He started in 1997, so he’s right there and obviously Phil. It was the best players in the world all right there trying to beat this 42-year-old, experienced golfer,” he said.
A major can masquerade as a fitting end to a hot run of form in some instances, especially in the cases of Stewart’s aforementioned rivals in North Carolina. This was somewhat true for Stewart as he had won at Pebble Beach earlier that season, as well as coming second at the Honda Classic.
But there were some missed cuts too, one of which came at the FedEx St. Jude Classic won by Ted Tryba in the week before the US Open. But Stewart and Hicks treated this as an opportunity to fine-tune his game for the next major on the schedule.
“That particular week in ’99, we missed the cut in Memphis which was a blessing because that tournament didn’t finish until Monday,” Hicks said. “All those guys who made the cut didn’t even get to Pinehurst until Monday night. So, they only got two practice rounds. We missed the cut and Payne went out on Saturday with his putter and his sand wedge, and chipped and putted with his swing coach.
“I lived 60 miles north and I was commuting every day. I got down there on Saturday morning, got my yardage book, walked the course, got all my notes – we played a practice round on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Wednesday, we didn’t do anything.”
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Payne Stewart US Open: 1999 celebrations spilt into his caddie’s home
Stewart’s iconic motion after rolling in that par putt on the 72nd hole was stage one of the celebrations that surrounded his third and last major triumph. Not only was Hicks tasked with carrying his man’s bag that week, one of the many seven-day stretches in their 10-plus years together, but he also hosted the after-party.
“I actually experienced something I would venture to say no other caddie has ever experienced in golf. I won a major championship in my home state with Payne Stewart, and he spent the night in my house and celebrated in my house.
“Just a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. Payne was still a little immature when I first got the job back in the ‘80s. But obviously, as we get older, we grow out of our mood swings. I would have to say, just a super individual, he loved to have a good time.”
Tragically, the 1999 US Open became one final moment of glory for this dynamic pair as Stewart died five months later in a Learjet crash on his way to the season-ending Tour Championship in Houston.
The aircraft failed to pressurise and each person on board was incapacitated. The aircraft eventually ran out of fuel and crashed in a field in South Dakota.
“I not only lost my employer – I lost a close friend when he died,” Hicks said. “It took a long time to get over that whole ordeal. You never really do, but time heals all wounds.
“I was really proud of how Payne, as a middle-aged man, fought those young bucks off and took that down. That was divine intervention in my opinion. I really think that God had a plan. He knew he was going to take him in three months, and it was really his last moment of glory.”
The day after Stewart won the US Open for the second time, he stayed true to a commitment he made to Hicks by joining Fred Couples, Paul Azinger, and Hal Sutton a skins game benefitting the North Carolina Children’s Hospital.
Hicks touchingly caught up with Stewart’s son and daughter at the 2024 US Open back at Pinehurst, which was won by a similarly flamboyant character in Bryson DeChambeau.
“You really feel for his children. He grew up without a father. Chelsea had him for 12 years I think, and Aaron had him for eight. It’s just tough.
“I saw them at the US Open at Pinehurst. I hadn’t seen them in a while. They’re both married now with kids and just growing up with families. I know Payne is really proud of both of them, the people they have become.”
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