Payne Stewart honored with memorial flag Sunday on Pinehurst’s 18th green

PINEHURST, N.C. – Twenty-five years ago, Payne Stewart left an indelible mark on the U.S. Open with an 18-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to win at Pinehurst No. 2. He punctuated the moment with an outstretched fist of triumph, almost buoyant in extension.

Four months later, Stewart tragically died in a plane crash, but his legacy echoes across these grounds in the Carolina Sandhills, now and forever – especially on U.S. Open Sunday.

The USGA is honoring Stewart and his legacy with a commemorative flag on the par-4 18th hole for Sunday’s final round at Pinehurst No. 2. The flag is inscribed with a silhouette of Stewart’s winning moment a quarter-century ago, a celebration that was dually exuberant and classy. The moment neatly matched Stewart’s ethos and hence punctuated his achievement so perfectly.

Sunday’s hole location is also set in the same back-right position (26 paces on, six paces from the right edge) used in 1999. Stewart’s dramatic victory at the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst was his third major title, adding to the 1989 PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes and 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine. It furthered his legacy as one of golf’s great characters, his talent and evolving patience complemented by a distinctive style. He was also part of the Ryder Cup’s winning U.S. Team later in 1999, a month before his tragic passing.

Stewart was positioned for continued success at the game’s highest level, and although that time was cut short, his impact endures into golf’s next generation.

“There are certain people that we all have in our lives that just make you feel better when you're around them,” said Stewart’s son Aaron Stewart. “And he was certainly one of those people. He could brighten up a room just by walking into it.

“When they see that pose, you can see just how much it meant to him, right? There was nothing that got him more fired up than playing in his country's open.”

Perhaps this U.S. Open will come down to the 72nd hole, and perhaps a contender will face a Stewart-type putt to join the Missourian as a major winner at Pinehurst. It would only be fitting.