1999 US Open: Payne Stewart's Last Win

Payne Stewart celebrates victory after sinking his final putt during the last day of the 1999 US Open
Payne Stewart celebrates victory in the 1999 US Open. Harry How/Getty Images
By
Brent Kelley
Brent Kelley
Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism.
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Updated on 11/04/19

Payne Stewart never won again after the 1999 U.S. Open - he was killed in a plane crash months later. But he died as the reigning U.S. Open champion.

Quick Bits

  • Winner: Payne Stewart, 279
  • Dates: June 17-20, 1999
  • Location: Pinehurst Resort (No. 2 Course) in Pinehurst, North Carolina
  • Tournament number: This was the 99th time the U.S. Open tournament was played.

How the 1999 US Open Was Won

The indelible image from the 1999 U.S. Open is that of Payne Stewart thrusting his fist into the air, one leg kicked out behind him, after the winning putt found the cup on the 72nd hole of play. There is now a statue of Stewart's celebration pose behind the 18th green of the famed No. 2 course at Pinehurst Resort, site of the 1999 U.S. Open.

It was Stewart's second U.S. Open victory, the last of his three majors, and his final win on the PGA Tour. Stewart, 42 years old, died in a plane crash later in the year.

Stewart started the final round with a 1-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson, who was wearing a beeper because his wife Amy was due to give birth to their first child (Amy delivered the next day).

Mickelson took the lead after the 12th hole, but Stewart climbed back into a share when Mickelson bogeyed the 16th hole. Stewart regained the outright lead with a birdie to Mickelson's par on the 17th. And then Stewart sealed the championship with an 18-foot par putt on the final hole.

After that putt dropped, and after his celebratory fist-in-the-air, Stewart cradled the disappointed Mickelson's face in his hands and told him, "You are going to love being a father."

It was the first runner-up finish in a U.S. Open by Mickelson. Mickelson went on to set the tournament record for second-place finishes with six (he never won this major, although he won five others).

Vijay Singh had his best-ever finish in a U.S. Open this year, tying for third with Tiger Woods, two strokes behind Stewart.

Stewart also won the 1991 U.S. Open. His victory here made him the third golfer in the 1990s to win two U.S. Opens. The other two were Lee Janzen and Ernie Els.

1999 U.S. Open Scores

Results from the 1999 U.S. Open golf tournament played at the par-70 No. 2 Course at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. (a-amateur):

Payne Stewart, $625,000 68-69-72-70-279
Phil Mickelson, $370,000 67-70-73-70-280
Tiger Woods, $196,792 68-71-72-70-281
Vijay Singh, $196,792 69-70-73-69-281
Steve Stricker, $130,655 70-73-69-73-285
Tim Herron, $116,935 69-72-70-75-286
David Duval, $96,260 67-70-75-75-287
Jeff Maggert, $96,260 71-69-74-73-287
Hal Sutton, $96,260 69-70-76-72-287
Darren Clarke, $78,863 73-70-74-71-288
Billy Mayfair, $78,863 67-72-74-75-288
Paul Goydos, $67,347 67-74-74-74-289
Davis Love III, $67,347 70-73-74-72-289
Paul Azinger, $67,347 72-72-75-70-289
Colin Montgomerie, $58,215 72-72-74-72-290
Justin Leonard, $58,215 69-75-73-73-290
John Huston, $46,756 71-69-75-76-291
Scott Verplank, $46,756 72-73-72-74-291
Dudley Hart, $46,756 73-73-76-69-291
Jim Furyk, $46,756 69-73-77-72-291
Jay Haas, $46,756 74-72-73-72-291
Jesper Parnevik, $46,756 71-71-76-73-291
Miguel Jimenez, $33,505 73-70-72-77-292
D.A. Weibring, $33,505 69-74-74-75-292
Tom Scherrer, $33,505 72-72-74-74-292
Nick Price, $33,505 71-74-74-73-292
Brian Watts, $33,505 69-73-77-73-292
Tom Lehman, $26,186 73-74-73-73-293
David Berganio, $26,186 68-77-76-72-293
Bob Estes, $23,805 70-71-77-76-294
Geoffrey Sisk, $23,805 71-72-76-75-294
Sven Struver, $22,449 70-76-75-74-295
Stewart Cink, $22,449 72-74-78-71-295
Rocco Mediate, $19,084 69-72-76-79-296
Corey Pavin, $19,084 74-71-78-73-296
Gabriel Hjertstedt, $19,084 75-72-79-70-296
Craig Parry, $19,084 69-73-79-75-296
Brad Fabel, $19,084 69-75-78-74-296
Steve Pate, $19,084 70-75-75-76-296
Carlos Franco, $19,084 69-77-73-77-296
Esteban Toledo, $19,084 70-72-76-78-296
Stephan Allan, $15,068 71-74-77-75-297
Len Mattiace, $15,068 72-75-75-75-297
Chris Perry, $15,068 72-74-75-76-297
Gary Hallberg, $15,068 74-72-75-76-297
Brandel Chamblee, $12,060 73-74-74-77-298
Jim Carter, $12,060 73-70-78-77-298
Lee Janzen, $12,060 74-73-76-75-298
David Lebeck, $12,060 74-70-78-76-298
Robert Allenby, $12,060 74-72-76-76-298
Steve Elkington, $10,305 71-72-79-77-299
Chris Tidland, $10,305 71-75-75-78-299
Jason Tyska, $9,562 72-74-75-79-300
Greg Kraft, $9,562 70-73-82-75-300
Spike McRoy, $9,562 70-74-76-80-300
Phillip Price, $9,562 71-73-75-81-300
Jerry Kelly, $8,840 73-74-79-75-301
Tom Watson, $8,840 75-70-77-79-301
Kaname Yokoo, $8,840 68-74-78-81-301
Tom Kite, $8,460 74-72-80-76-302
John Cook, $8,460 74-73-77-78-302
Bob Tway, $8,178 69-77-79-78-303
Chris Smith, $8,178 69-77-77-80-303
Larry Mize, $7,966 69-75-84-76-304
a-Hank Kuehne 72-75-81-78-306
Bob Burns, $7,755 71-76-84-77-308
Ted Tryba, $7,755 72-75-82-79-308
John Daly, $7,543 68-77-81-83-309

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