Payne Stewart: The Authorized Biography

The widow of golfer Payne Stewart recounts his training, his golfing career, which began on the Asian Tour, and the development of his Christian faith.Amazon.com ReviewThe problem with most authorized biographies is just that--they're authorized. They praise, adore, defend, excuse, inspire, whitewash, and love their subjects, which, in the end, conspires to keep the reader at a distance. Tracey Stewart's homage to her late husband Payne Stewart does all of that. It rarely allows a closer view than that available from where she witnessed most of his stirring final round victory in the 1999 U.S. Open: on TV. Which is too bad, because the sartorially splendid golfer was more interesting and complex than that. Despite his deep family and religious convictions--when he played, he wore a bracelet with initials that stood for "What Would Jesus Do?"--he was certainly no saint; his early reputation as a hell-raiser was matched by a palpable whiff of arrogance later on. His accomplishments--three majors among them--were great, but his flaws were at least as fascinating as his successes. So, of course, was his tragic end, in an almost unimaginably bizarre plane crash not long after his great comeback triumphs in the Open and as a member of the victorious Ryder Cup team. All the necessary facts are here. So are the various scriptures and devotionals Stewart relied on, the joys he felt in coaching his son's soccer team, his wrenching loss at the '98 Open, and the tears of relief he shed when he won at Pebble Beach--and, of course, Pinehurst--a year later. And so, too, is the occasional startling detail that defines a life--such as his son's request to bury his father in Payne's favorite Jimmy Buffett T-shirt, and Tracey's having to explain that no body was recovered from the plane crash. But too few other moments bring anything approaching that candid closeness. The rest comes off like a life passed through a protective filter, leaving the reader where golfers would rather not be--on the fringe. --Tally SwinfenAbout the AuthorTracey Stewart was born in Rockhampton, Australia, and attended school in Queensland. She met Payne Stewart in March of 1980 in Malaysia. They were engaged one year later in Singapore and married November 10, 1981. Currently, she resides in Orlando, Florida with their two children, Chelsea (14) and Aaron (10).Ken Abraham is the author of over forty books. He collaborated with professional golfer Paul Azinger on Zinger! as well as baseball All-Star catcher Gary Carter on The Gamer. In 1999 he released a devotional for golfers entitled Fairways. His collaborations have been featured on "20/20", "Larry King Live", "Good Morning America", The Morning Show", "The Today Show", as well as The Nashville Network and the Family Channel. Abraham currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee.Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved."THE GREATEST OPEN EVER"This could be it, I thought, as I leaned forward in my chair, my eyes glued to the television screen, anxiously watching and waiting, hanging on every word describing Payne's situation. This could be the turning point, the critical shot of the 1999 U.S. Open. Payne's caddy handed him his putter as he approached the 16th green at Pinehurst Number 2. The U.S. Open is held each year at one of the most challenging golf courses in America. The mid-June tournament spans a four-day period, beginning on Thursday and ending on Sunday, Father's Day weekend. Open to both professional players and any amateurs who can survive the sieve of sectional qualifying rounds conducted in various locations across the nation, the U.S. Open is truly America's tournament. Nearly 7,000 golfers vie for a spot in the prestigious field each year, hoping to capture the prized silver trophy. Of that number, fewer than one hundred sixty men actually get to tee it up in the Open. One of the most difficult golf tournaments in the world, separating the good gol