Payne Stewart Award: Honoring his competitive spirit

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The biggest win of Payne Stewart's life was at the 1999 U.S. Open, shown here, after Stewart sank and 15 foot put for par and for victory.

Editor's Note: The Payne Stewart Award is named for the 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR who died the week of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola in 1999. The award was created by the PGA TOUR policy board to perpetuate Stewart's memory and is presented annually at the TOUR Championship to a player sharing Stewart's many admirable traits. Each week leading up to the announcement of this year's winner, PGATOUR.COM will select one of Stewart's qualities and highlight how those same qualities were shared by some of the previous winners of the Payne Stewart Award (click here for complete coverage).

Fifteen feet for par. Fifteen feet for an 11th career win. Fifteen feet for a U.S. Open. Was Payne Stewart just a pretty face in some fancy outdated, but very cool, golf attire? The statue outside Pinehurst No. 2 tells you all you need to know about the results of that 15 footer. Fist extended, leaning forward on one leg and screaming along with the throngs of fans at the 72nd hole at the 1999 U.S. Open. Fifteen feet for par and for victory.

Seconds after sinking the biggest putt of his life, Stewart was hugging runner-up Phil Mickelson, telling him that his titles would come and to just be proud that he's such a great father and husband.

There's not an existing illustration that better defines competitor and sportsman than this one marvelous sequence on the 18th green in North Carolina.

Payne Stewart was stylish, sure. But the substance of his game stands out as much as his plus-fours and colorful NFL-themed apparel. In the first of a seven-part series, we examine Payne Stewart's competitive fire and take a look at how recipients of the annual Payne Stewart Award share his passionate and classy pursuit of victory.

Tom Watson, winner of the Payne Stewart Award in 2003, knows a thing or three about competitive spirit. How many 59-year-olds do you know who put themselves in position to win a British Open only to get edged at the tape after a four-hole playoff? Then again, how many 61-year-olds do you know who finished 22nd at this year's British Open, including an ace in Round 2?

When Watson first burst onto the scene in the mid- to late-1970s, another fairly decent golfer named Jack Nicklaus was there to greet him. And for several years the two fought like Ali and Frazier. If there was a better year for golf than 1977, we're going to need some serious proof. Watson vs Nicklaus became an epic battle at both the Masters and British Open that season, both ending in victories for Watson. Punch, counterpunch. Body blow followed by an uppercut. Watson and Nicklaus are gentlemen to be sure, but at the height of their careers, this was Fight Club. Yes, they are friends today. Very good friends, actually. But in their primes, they didn't exactly share many chuckles while trying to beat up on each other.

Watson might have gotten the better of the Golden Bear in 1977, but make no mistake; Nicklaus' record 18 majors and 19 second place finishes in majors are game, set and match against anyone in the history of the game. Nicklaus won the 1986 Masters, his final major victory, at the age of 46. Yes, sir, Nicklaus' competitive fire may never be matched. Nicklaus was one of three legends tabbed as an inaugural winner of the Payne Stewart Award, the others being Arnold Palmer and Byron Nelson.

Nelson's 11 consecutive tournament victories in 1945 (18 wins overall that year) illustrate Lord Byron's penchant for demolishing the field. Even though some of the best players on the PGA TOUR were in the war effort, two of the very best, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan, played full seasons. "I don't think that anyone will ever exceed the things that Byron did by winning 11 tournaments in a row in one year," said Arnold Palmer.

Palmer's career -- on and off the golf course -- was the perfect blend of style and substance. Along with his army of fans, he claimed seven majors, but his partnership with agent Mark McCormack truly won the day. Palmer made $1,861,857 in 734 PGA TOUR starts over 53 years. He earned an estimated $30 million off the course in 2008 alone.

Hal Sutton, 2007 winner of the Payne Stewart Award, knows the highs and lows of facing the ultimate competition. After a successful run as a Ryder Cup player, Sutton captained the 2004 U.S. team during a crushing defeat to the Europeans. Counter that with the heroic effort Sutton put together in the 2000 PLAYERS Championship when he stared down Tiger in one of the few head-to-head competitions that Woods lost. Sutton's clutch 6-iron from 179 yards on the 72nd hole was a shot of a lifetime for the Louisiana native.

In 1973, Ben Crenshaw (2001 winner of the Payne Stewart Award) became only the second player in TOUR history to win the first event he entered. But Crenshaw showed his true mettle when he won the 1995 Masters, his second Masters title, just a week after his long-time mentor Harvey Penick passed away. Crying on the 18th green after his final stroke, Crenshaw honored Penick in more ways than one that week in Augusta -- he didn't three-putt all week. At Augusta, that's like summiting Everest on a pogo stick.

But Crenshaw's competitive spirit may have shined the brightest in a week in which he never picked up a club. As captain of the 1999 U.S. Ryder Cup team, Crenshaw watched his team go down 10-6 after two days of team play. Yet Crenshaw remained the inspirational cheerleader for his star-studded cast and spurred them to a remarkable comeback in singles play. The U.S. team won in dramatic fashion on Justin Leonard's long-range putt, but it was Crenshaw's unyielding belief in his team and his tough-as-nails competitiveness that is the lasting image of the week.

Payne Stewart was a member of Crenshaw's 1999 Ryder Cup squad. His decision to pick up Colin Montgomery's birdie putt, thus awarding him the singles victory, was an incredible show of sportsmanship. Between that fantastic team win and his win at the U.S. Open that year, it was a season to cherish for the man in the knickers. Of course, just weeks after his 15-foot putt hit the bottom of the cup, we lost Payne Stewart in a tragic plane crash.

Imagine staring down your competitor and swinging free and easy under the harshest pressure in the sports world. Few did it better or enjoyed it more than Payne Stewart and the men who won the award named in his honor.