Payne Stewart TRAGIC Story | What REALLY Happened?

What really happened to Payne Stewart? We will dive into the legacy of the golf icon,   from his magnetic personality  on the golf course through his   lasting imprint on the sport of golf. This is heartbreaking! Our team dug deep   into the pages of The Washington Post, Golf  Digest and PGA Tour to reveal the truth of   what happened to Payne. Come along with us as  we revisit the tragedy that befell him that put   an end to his illustrious golf career. How was his golf play before the PGA Tour?   It was his father, who got Payne Stewart started  on the game of golf while he was growing up in   Missouri. His father had the privilege of  having played in the 1955 US Open. Payne   played collegiate golf while pursuing a business  degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas,   Texas. Upon his graduation in 1979, Payne was  unable to earn a PGA Tour card at Qualifying   School. He decided, instead, to play on the Asian  Golf Circuit for the next two years. His decision   earned him two tournament wins in 1981, one of  which was the Indonesia Open. Not satisfied with   just playing in Asia, Payne went back to the US  and finally earned his 1982 PGA Tour card.   Payne's involvement in the Asian Tour during  the 1980-81 period was a notable chapter in his   career. While it was relatively short, it played  a significant role in his development as a golfer   and helped him gain valuable experience that  would benefit his career in the years to come.   How was his golf journey in the PGA? He started his professional golf career   with a win at the Quad Cities Open in 1982.  More than his win, the crowd remembered him   for wearing colorful knickers, plus four  bright stockings and a tam o-shanter,   His outfit eventually became a trademark for  Payne and earned him a reputation of being   one of the best dressed professional golfers. Payne scored his second victory on the PGA Tour   at the Walt Disney World Golf Classic in 1983.  He then had second place finishes at the Byron   Nelson Golf Classic and The Open Championship  in 1985. This continued in 1986 where he ended   up as the tournament runner-up four times. Payne’s dry spell would end in 1987 when he   won the Hertz Bay Hill Classic in Orlando,  Florida. After 2 runner-up finishes at the   Honda Classic and Provident Classic in 1988,  he recorded his fourth PGA Tour win at the   MCI Heritage Golf Classic in April, 1989. At this point, he was beginning to enjoy the   reputation of being one of the most consistent  and best PGA Tour players to not have yet won   a major championship. But that reputation was  not to hold as Payne won his first major by   winning the PGA Championship in August. It was also in 1989 when Payne entered   an endorsement deal with NFL, requiring  him to dress up in the team colors of the   NFL team closest to the location where he was  playing, a deal that lasted until May, 1995.   Payne’s next PGA victory was a consecutive MCI  Heritage Golf Classic title in 1990, with the   additional honor of being the first player to  win back-to-back titles in the event. In May,   he was the GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic winner  and in that summer, Payne reached his peak of   third place at the Official World Golf Ranking. It was at the 1991 US Open that Payne secured   his second major title at the US Open, winning  in exceptional fashion after holing a 20-foot   birdie. Another 1991 title came to him with a win  at the Heineken Dutch Open, the following month.   For 1992 and 1993, Payne recorded back to  back wins at the Hassan 2 Golf Trophy in   Morocco. After a 4-year dry spell at the PGA  Tour, he won the Shell Houston Open in 1995.   After runner-up finishes at the US Open in  1993 and 1998, Payne won his last major,   at the 1999 US Open, beating Phil Mickelson with  a memorable 15-foot par putt, the longest ever   made in winning the major. In his delight at  winning, Payne raised a fist in the air and   kicked his leg out from behind, a legendary pose  that was immortalized in a bronze statue. This   statue of Payne stands behind the eighteenth  green at the Pinehurst Resort Number 2 course,   as a commemoration of his winning putt. His golf legacy extends to his representing   his country in 5 Ryder Cup and  3 World Cup competitions.   Payne's PGA Tour career spanned from 1982 through  1999, highlighted by a total of 11 victories,   including 3 majors. Marked by both success and  resilience, his games were characterized by his   unique, gracefully fluid and stylish swings. What happened on October 25, 1999?   Payne, together with Robert Fraley, his agent,  Van Ardan, a sports management agency president   and Bruce Borland, a golf architect, boarded a  chartered Learjet 35 jet for a two-hour flight   from Orlando, Florida to Dallas, Texas. Payne was  to attend the Tour Championship, the year-ending   tournament at the Champions Golf Club. Early in the flight, the aircraft climbed   to its assigned altitude on autopilot. 14 minutes  after takeoff, air traffic controllers attempted   to contact the plane but their message went  unacknowledged. They attempted contact 5 more   times but there was no answer just the same. A US Air Force F-16 test pilot who happened   to be in the air nearby, was asked to  intercept the jet. Upon visual inspection,   there seems to be no visible airplane  damage, with both engines running. However,   the pilot could not see inside the passenger  section as the windows were dark. Meanwhile,   the cockpit windshields appeared opaque, with  the insides of the right windshield covered with   condensation or ice while the left windshield  seemed to be thinly covered with the same.   While this horrific scene was being broadcasted  on television news networks, Air Force pilots were   given the go signal to shoot down the jet should  it drift to a densely populated location. Luckily,   the plane eventually ran out of fuel and  crashed in an empty field near Aberdeen.   After a thorough investigation, it  was concluded that the jet lost cabin   pressure within minutes after takeoff due to  an undetermined cause. It appears that the 2   pilots and 4 passengers immediately passed out  due to lack of oxygen long before the crash.   In tribute to Payne’s demise, all the golfers  in the 1999 Tour Championship, the tournament   he was traveling for, wore plus fours together  with a tam o-shanter, during the final round.   Also, in the opening of the 2000 US Open,  21 of Payne’s golf buddies simultaneously   hit golf balls into the ocean at Pebble Beach,  golf’s answer to the military 21 gun salute.   Tracy Stewart, his widow, published a biography  and established the Payne Stewart Enterprises,   to celebrate the life of her husband. Partners to  the enterprise include Payne’s Valley Golf Course,   SeeMore Putters, Golf Links to the Past,  Payne Stewart Golf Camps, Posse Films, USGA,   Steven Dinberg Photography, Southern Company and  Payne Stewart Collection. Each partner engages in   activities that promote Payne’s name and image. In 2000, the PGA Tour introduced the Payne   Stewart Award, given to the PGA player who  best symbolizes character, sportsmanship   and charity both on and off the course. In 2001, he was inducted into the World Golf   Hall of Fame and in 2009, the Payne Stewart Golf  Club was established in Branson, Missouri.   Payne's untimely death in 1999 had a  profound impact on the golf community   worldwide. It left an indelible mark on the  golf community, reminding everyone of the   fragility of life and the enduring legacy of a  player who embodied the spirit of the sport.   Payne remains to be a beloved figure  in the field of professional golf,   known for his distinctive attire and  charismatic personality. Proceed to   the next video for an in-depth look  at the life of another golf icon.