Payne Stewart was tragically killed 25 years ago today in a plane crash that shocked and saddened the golf world.
Stewart was flying on a Learjet from Orlando, Fla., to Texas for the seasone-ending Tour Championship in Houston. The aircraft wasn't pressurized, and the passengers and crew faced hypoxia as the plane flew on autopilot until it ran out of fuel and crashed into a South Dakota field.
The three-time major winner was just months removed from his greatest victory, taking the 1999 US Open at Pinehurst No. 2 with a dramatic 72nd-hole putt that has become his signature moment and one of the most compelling moments in major championship history.
Today, Stewart's legacy lives on in so many ways, including through his family and friends, who continue to tell their stories about the father, friend and professional he was.
In the latest episode of The 19th Hole Golf Show, Mike Hicks, Stewart's long-time caddie from 1987-1999, joins to talk about his boss, their time together and the key moments of their tremendously successful run. Hicks talks about the key moment of Stewart working with Dr. Richard Coop, a North Carolina sports psychologist who helped focus Stewart inside the ropes. Hicks shares how he and Stewart worked together and the importance of having a candid player-caddie relationship.
The conversation ends with some of Hicks' favorite Payne Stewart stories, including the time Stewart turned into a bartender for the night in Ireland.
