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Payne Stewart

United States · born , Springfield, Missouri, USA · died

3major championships

Summary

  • First major 1989 PGA Championship
  • Last major 1999 U.S. Open
  • Ryder Cup 5 Cups · 8-9-2 · 9 points (47.4%)
  • Runner-up in majors 4 times

Wins

  1. 1989 PGA Championship Kemper Lakes Golf Club · 276 (-12) · by 1 stroke from Curtis Strange, Mike Reid and Andy Bean
  2. 1991 U.S. Open Hazeltine National G.C. · 282 (-6) · won a playoff against Scott Simpson
  3. 1999 U.S. Open Pinehurst No. 2 · 279 (-1) · by 1 stroke from Phil Mickelson

Near misses

  1. 1985 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · runner-up to Sandy Lyle · 283
  2. 1987 The Open Muirfield · finished T4 · 281 (-3)
  3. 1988 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished T7 · 283 (-1)
  4. 1989 The Open Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course) · finished T8 · 280 (-8)
  5. 1990 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · runner-up to Nick Faldo · 275
  6. 1993 U.S. Open Baltusrol G.C. · runner-up to Lee Janzen
  7. 1998 U.S. Open Olympic Club · runner-up to Lee Janzen

Ryder Cup

5 Cups, 19 matches: 8 won, 9 lost, 2 halved, 9 points. Foursomes 4-5-1, four-ball 2-1-1, singles 2-3-0.

  1. 1987 Muirfield Village Golf Club USA · Europe won 15–13 · 2-2-0, 2 points · automatic
  2. 1989 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) USA · tied 14–14 · 1-3-0, 1 point · automatic
  3. 1991 The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island Golf Resort USA · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 2-1-1, 2.5 points · automatic
  4. 1993 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) USA · USA won 15–13 · 3-1-0, 3 points · automatic
  5. 1999 The Country Club (Championship/Composite Course) USA · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 0-2-1, 0.5 points · automatic

Rivals

Beat him

Beaten in finals and playoffs

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Sandy Lyle's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1989 PGA Championship Payne Stewart came from six back with a back-nine 31, birdieing 11, 14, 15, 16 and 18 and finishing with a 12-foot birdie putt.
  2. 1989 PGA Championship Leader Mike Reid drove into water for a bogey on 16, made a double bogey on 17 when a two-foot putt lipped out, then missed a seven-foot birdie putt on 18 that would have forced a playoff.
  3. 1999 Ryder Cup Payne Stewart conceded Colin Montgomerie's putt on 18 as a sportsmanship gesture. It was his last Ryder Cup: he died in a plane crash less than a month later.

Records and firsts

  1. 1978 PGA Championship largest first-round deficit overcome · 8 (1978; 1989; 2011) (John Mahaffey; Payne Stewart; Keegan Bradley)

Results by championship

    Best day

    1999 U.S. Open

    Pinehurst No. 2, Village of Pinehurst, NC · 279 (-1) · by 1 stroke from Phil Mickelson

    Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1999.

    Career line, 1985–1999

    PGA Championship
    1989 PGA Championship: won
    U.S. Open
    1991 U.S. Open: won1993 U.S. Open: runner-up to Lee Janzen1998 U.S. Open: runner-up to Lee Janzen1999 U.S. Open: won
    The Open
    1985 The Open: runner-up to Sandy Lyle1987 The Open: finished T41988 The Open: finished T71989 The Open: finished T81990 The Open: runner-up to Nick Faldo
    Ryder Cup
    1987 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-2-01989 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-3-01991 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-1-11993 Ryder Cup (USA): 3-1-01999 Ryder Cup (USA): 0-2-1
    1985199019952000

    15 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Top 10
    • Ryder Cup, USA

    Payne Stewart was born on January 30, 1957, in Springfield, Missouri, USA. Stewart won 3 major championships: 1 PGA Championship (1989) and 2 U.S. Opens (1991, 1999). Stewart played in 5 Ryder Cups for USA (1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1999), winning 8, losing 9 and halving 2 of 19 matches for 9 points.

    See Payne Stewart in our rooms: U.S. Open, The Open, Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (3)

    1. 1989 PGA Championship Kemper Lakes Golf Club, Long Grove, Illinois · 276 (-12) · by 1 stroke from Curtis Strange, Mike Reid and Andy Bean
    2. 1991 U.S. Open Hazeltine National G.C., Chaska, MN · 282 (-6) · won a playoff against Scott Simpson (18 holes, 75–77)
    3. 1999 U.S. Open Pinehurst No. 2, Village of Pinehurst, NC · 279 (-1) · by 1 stroke from Phil Mickelson

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1985 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · runner-up to Sandy Lyle · 283
    2. 1987 The Open Muirfield · finished T4 · 281 (-3)
    3. 1988 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished T7 · 283 (-1)
    4. 1989 The Open Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course) · finished T8 · 280 (-8)
    5. 1990 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · runner-up to Nick Faldo · 275
    6. 1993 U.S. Open Baltusrol G.C. · runner-up to Lee Janzen
    7. 1998 U.S. Open Olympic Club · runner-up to Lee Janzen

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 7 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    Ryder Cup

    Stewart played 5 Ryder Cups for USA: 19 matches, 8 won, 9 lost, 2 halved, 9 points (47.4% of those available). By format: foursomes 4-5-1, four-ball 2-1-1, singles 2-3-0 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1987 Muirfield Village Golf Club USA · Europe won 15–13 · 2-2-0, 2 points · automatic
    2. 1989 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) USA · tied 14–14 · 1-3-0, 1 point · automatic
    3. 1991 The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island Golf Resort USA · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 2-1-1, 2.5 points · automatic
    4. 1993 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) USA · USA won 15–13 · 3-1-0, 3 points · automatic
    5. 1999 The Country Club (Championship/Composite Course) USA · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 0-2-1, 0.5 points · automatic

    Partners, with matches played together: Lanny Wadkins (2), Mark Calcavecchia (2), Raymond Floyd (2), Larry Nelson (1), Ben Crenshaw (1), Andy Bean (1), Curtis Strange (1), Fred Couples (1), Paul Azinger (1), Davis Love III (1), Justin Leonard (1).

    Records and firsts

    Rows from our record tables that name this player, worded as the tables word them.

    1. 1978 PGA Championship largest first-round deficit overcome · 8 (1978; 1989; 2011) (John Mahaffey; Payne Stewart; Keegan Bradley)

    Sources

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. where2golf
    2. Golf Compendium PGA Tour career wins
    3. Golf Compendium winners list
    4. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    5. Golf Compendium 1989
    6. Sports Illustrated 1989
    7. Today's Golfer past champions
    8. BetMGM winner payouts
    9. Today's Golfer purse history
    10. PGA of America club pros who made the cut
    11. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 41
    12. PGA of America 2012 media guide, p. 148
    13. OWGR player event table, 1989
    14. GNN U.S. Open room (champions data)
    15. R&A 1987
    16. R&A 1988
    17. R&A 1989
    18. GC: 1987 ryder cup
    19. Wikipedia: 1987 Ryder Cup
    20. GC: 1989 ryder cup
    21. Wikipedia: 1989 Ryder Cup
    22. GC: 1991 ryder cup
    23. Wikipedia: 1991 Ryder Cup
    24. GC: 1993 ryder cup
    25. Wikipedia: 1993 Ryder Cup
    26. GC: 1999 ryder cup
    27. Wikipedia: 1999 Ryder Cup
    28. CBS News 1999
    29. Golf Channel
    30. Golf Compendium biggest comebacks
    31. PGA of America biggest comebacks