PINEHURST, N.C. – A couple of months earlier than Payne Stewart holed that 15-foot putt on Pinehurst’s 18th inexperienced to win the 1999 U.S. Open, he was rolling putts with the identical putter, a SeeMore Bronze FGP, on the apply inexperienced at Pebble Seashore.
Stewart had been placing “horrendously,” says caddie Mike Hicks. He was an tools free agent for the primary time in 5 years after his take care of Spalding ran out the yr prior, and on the urging of pal Lamar Haynes, Stewart switched into Mizuno irons, and a Titleist driver and golf ball, in November 1998 – “It’s time so that you can come dwelling,” Haynes advised his buddy, tossing a Titleist ball at Stewart’s toes; Stewart was quickly additionally giving Haynes specs for a set of Mizuno Professional MS-4’s. However Stewart was nonetheless looking for crucial membership in his bag (the bag price $139.99 at Edwin Watts in Orlando, Florida, and in addition included Orlimar fairway woods and a 56-degree Cleveland wedge; he later added a 60-degree Ping wedge, which he hit into No. 18 Sunday at Pinehurst).
So, when SeeMore rep Arnie Cunningham advised the putter, Stewart threw it within the bag for a apply spherical. He left the headcover on for all 9 holes that Wednesday earlier than returning to the apply inexperienced, the place he’d spend the subsequent couple hours. Stewart wasn’t afraid to change issues up along with his placing, however what the SeeMore’s system did was make him extra constant the way in which he set as much as the ball.
“He then requested me, ‘What do you suppose?’” Hicks recalled.
To which Hicks replied to Stewart: “Nicely, you possibly can’t putt any worse than you’re placing.”
Stewart gained the event, edging Frank Lickliter by a shot in 54 holes. Within the following months, he’d end second on the Honda Basic and lose in a playoff on the MCI Basic at Harbour City.
He by no means used one other putter.
Quick ahead to Saturday night at Pinehurst in 1999, and Stewart had retreated to the apply inexperienced along with his spouse, Tracey. Hicks had already began his 70-mile commute again dwelling to Mebane, North Carolina. When Stewart’s father died in 1985, he wrote Tracey a letter of issues to observe for in Payne’s recreation. One in all them was preserving his head nonetheless.
Following Stewart’s 72 in brutal scoring circumstances (the third-round scoring common was 75.97), that was the repair.
On Sunday, in a battle with Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, Stewart wanted simply 24 putts, together with one-putts on every of his final three holes:
A miraculous 25-footer for par at No. 16. (Stewart had struck a department along with his 2-iron on method and adopted with a poor chip properly previous the opening; Mickelson bogeyed the opening to drop again right into a tie with Stewart.)
A 4-footer for birdie at No. 17 that gave Stewart the lead.
And the 15-footer on the final, nonetheless the longest putt ever made on a 72nd gap to win a U.S. Open.
“He simply didn’t surrender,” Hicks stated. “He by no means give up preventing.”
And he saved his head nonetheless.
“I did it, lovey,” Stewart might be heard telling Tracey whereas they hugged off the 18th inexperienced on Sunday night. “I saved my head nonetheless all day. … All day I did it.”
“I’ve bought to thank my spouse for the placing tip that she gave me, which was to maintain my head nonetheless,” Stewart stated in his winner’s presser afterward. “She watched me yesterday and he or she stated you’re shifting your head. So, I labored on it a bit of bit final night time and I saved my head nonetheless on that putt. And once I seemed up, it was about 2 toes from the opening, and it was breaking proper within the heart, and I couldn’t imagine it. I couldn’t imagine that I’d completed one other dream of mine.”
