Payne is gone but pleasure remains

NEW DELHI, OCT 29: It only seemed logical that there was a minute's silence for Payne Stewart, the 42-year-old US Open champion who died ...

NEW DELHI, OCT 29: It only seemed logical that there was a minute8217;s silence for Payne Stewart, the 42-year-old US Open champion who died in a tragic air crash earlier this week. It was all the more sombre for many playing the Hero Honda Masters where he won the 1981 Indian Open. Brandon D8217;Souza recollects: 8220;I was a rookie and drawn to play in the group behind him, but a last minute withdrawal put me alongside Stewart for the 1st round. He was only 22 or 23 then, but had already begun making waves for he was coming after a win in the Indonesian Open. And many on the circuit saw him as a future champ.

8220;We used to complain about the undergrowth at the Delhi Golf Club, but Stewart beat the hell out of the course. He was a cocky golfer. While we were finding it difficult to go even sideways on the narrow fairways, he was drilling it right in the middle. He shot a 68 and 68 on the first two days and was leading the field by a mile8230;He won the tournament at par aggregate,8221; added Brandon. Col Rupi Brar walkedthe last two rounds with Stewart. 8220;Some people said he had a back strain on the last day. But he never complained. Whenever he holed a tricky shot, he would turn around, wink and say, seems my lucky day8217;. What8217;s more, he complimented his fellow players for good shots.8221;

Sombre mood

HOUSTON: The skirl of a lone bagpipe playing the Scottish lament, Going home, cut through ghostly fog in a chilling tribute to Payne Stewart at a golf tournament where he was to have played, adds AP.

Stewart8217;s peers on the US PGA Tour gathered yesterday on the first tee of Champions Golf Club to honour his memory. 8220;He loved to laugh and he was not ashamed to cry. I8217;m not going to be ashamed of my tears this morning, and neither should you,8221; said Tom Lehman. 8220;When he died on Monday, a big part of us died, too.8221;

Lehman offered a prayer, asking for comfort for Stewart8217;s wife and two children, and the families of the other victims. The players bowed their heads or stared into space as he spoke. After a moment ofsilence, the bagpiper, Steve Agan of Houston, played Amazing Grace. He then walked down the first fairway playing Going Home, a song about a Scotsman finally returning to his homeland, as the fog began to lift.

A short time later, Bob Estes used his putter for his first shot of the tournament. 8220;That8217;s for you, Payne,8221; he said. Estes wound up with a double bogey.

Last night, about 100 players and caddies involved in the PGA Tour event in Mississippi attended a memorial service for Stewart in Jackson. Bradley Bryant and Andy Bean spoke during the service.

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Several of the players in the tournament, including first-round leader Russ Cochran, had already flown to Orlando, Florida, for today8217;s service in Stewart8217;s hometown.