PAYNE STEWART by Tracey Stewart with Ken Abraham Concludes with a Postscript Christian Tract This book is about championship golf, but it is also about championship living. Payne Stewart is the champion, but it took time for him to become one. Paynes father, Bill, was an excellent golfer who realized his sons incredible natural abilities. From an early age, Bill coached and mentored him to be an outstanding golfer. Payne went to Southern Methodist University on a golf scholarship and earned a business degree. He was good, but not good enough to make the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour, so he went on the Asian Tour. That is how he met his future wife, Australian Tracey Ferguson. It was love at first sight. They married in 1981, had their first child, Chelsea, in 1985, and the second, Aaron, four years later. When he finally made the PGA Tour, Payne earned plenty of money, but he was not winning any tournaments. The press started to dub him Avis, for never being #1. When he won the Hertz Bay Hill Classic, one sports headline read Avis Wins Hertz. However, the big tournaments, the majors, still eluded him. He was not yet a true golfing champion. Payne was not yet a spiritual champion, either. The constant travel made attending church difficult, and he was not following any program of spiritual growth. What first stirred the faith inside Payne was cancer. Paynes friend and PGA colleague, Paul Azinger, Zinger, was diagnosed with lymphoma, a very curable type of cancer. Nevertheless, Paul suffered horribly from the chemotherapy. Paul was known as a sincere Christian and Payne saw how Pauls faith carried him through the ordeal. Payne asked him about it and tried to understand Pauls unbelievable faith. For one thing, he realized that there were a lot more important things in life than golf. Bald from the chemo, Paul joked. Hey bald is in. Just look at all those NBA basketball stars; they all have bald heads. As a matter of fact, as soon as I lost my hair, I went out to our basketball hoop in the backyard. Within seconds, I was dunking shots! Paul recovered and returned to the PGA Tour in 1995. Paynes children were the ones who got him on track spiritually. He and Tracey had put them in The First Academy, a Christian school in Orlando started by First Baptist Church. The schools curriculum emphasized the interaction between faith and reason in all aspects of academia. The kids brought that faith home and spurred Payne and Tracey to live the Christian life, not just talk about it. In planning the 1998 season, Payne set a priority of spending more time with his family. Aaron had the solution. Just play better, Dad, and you wont have to play so much. Payne did just that. He had changed priorities and purposely chose a lighter season. He said the same thing to a shocked media. It worked. He played better, earning $1,193,996 on the Tour that year. The changed priorities also helped Payne overcome a disappointing loss at the 1998 U.S. Open. The Open is the king of the master tournaments. He had led the tournament all the way, only to falter on the home stretch because of some bad lies. The old Payne Stewart would have complained bitterly over the divot filled with sand, a fairway bunker he called it, that cost him, but the new Payne made no excuses. He had become a gracious loser and everyone noticed it He praised Lee Jansen, the winner. He patiently answered all questions for nearly an hour. In a similar situation in the past, he would have endured the grilling for fifteen minutes, a half an hour at the most. Later, reporters crowded around him again. Dont worry about me boys, he said, Ill be back. Payne was back at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Tournament. It is played on three different courses. The weather was nasty - wet and windy. He had new clubs and spiritual peace. He led after the first day, and was the leader on the last day when the weather was so bad that play was called. Payne won in fifty-four holes instead of seventy-two holes. I really did want to prove to myself that I could win again in seventy-two holes. I wanted that opportunity. Then he added with a smile, But Im going to take this and run. Payne repeated his priorities: My game is exciting me. I have to go out and believe that . . . but Im not going to blink and miss my family growing up. I took two and a half months off last year, and Im not going to play this Fall. Im going to be a father. Its very important to me. Golf is secondary to my family. Payne also expressed his faith publicly. I just want to thank the Lord for helping me out there today. He went on to say Ive got a great grip on life right now. I have a wonderful family, and Im in touch. When Im at home, Im a father, and when Im on the road, Im a golfer. I love my life. During baseballs off-season (between the Fall of 1998 and the Spring of 1999) Orel Hershiser, famous for pitching the L.A. Dodgers to a World Series win, taught Sunday School in Orlando. He invited Payne and Tracey to his class at the First Baptist Church. Because Payne was taking off more time from the Tour, he and Tracey attended occasionally. Before Orel left for spring training in 1999, he gave two devotional books to each class member. They were Handbook to Prayer and Handbook to Renewal, both by Kenneth Boa. Payne started to read them faithfully, and the Bible, too. The Scriptures were the most powerful influence in his life. He didnt have a great knowledge of the Bible, but he was learning. He was very much a Christian in progress, but his faith was real. In April 1999, Aaron came home from school with several bracelets bearing the initials, W.W.J.D., meaning What Would Jesus Do? This was the theme of Charles Sheldons classic, In His Steps. Aaron showed his dad a bracelet and asked Here, Dad. Why dont you wear one? O.K. I will, Payne answered. Thanks, Aaron, he said as he fastened the bracelet around his wrist. He wore it everywhere, social occasions, golf tournaments; he wasnt ashamed to be seen with it. Payne was having breakfast with Bobby Clampett, a golf commentator for CBS and TBS television. Bobby asked about the W.W.J.D. bracelet and Payne gave him the whole story. Bobby was a former PGA Tour player and known for his Christian testimony. He recalls that Payne then looked at him as asked, as only Payne could, How come youre not wearing one? Bobby had no answer. He put on a W.W.J.D. bracelet and has been wearing one ever since. Paynes focus for 1999 was the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. The win would not only atone for the loss at the 1998 Open, but also assure him a much-desired berth on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Friends phoned him with encouragement and Bible verses. It came down to a pressure-filled, fifteen-foot putt on the last hole for the championship. Payne sunk it in a dramatic finish - possibly the best in the Opens history. Dan Hicks of NBC put his arm around Payne and a microphone in his face. Hicks asked Payne about the big win with its storybook finish. Payne answered Well first of all, I have to give thanks to the Lord. If it werent for the faith I have in him, I wouldnt have been able to have the faith that I had in myself on the golf course. So, thank you, Lord! The crowd roared its approval in the background. In the post-tournament interview, the reporters listened to Payne talk about his spiritual life. Im proud of the fact that my faith in God is so much stronger; and Im so much more at peace with myself than Ive ever been in my life, he said. And thats the reason that I was able to gather myself and conduct myself. And where I was last year and where I am now is leaps and bounds. And that gave me the strength to stand up there and believe in myself and get the job done. At the close of the press conference Payne said Im a lot more mentally prepared to deal with these situations than I have been in the past. Im going back to the fact that my faith is strong. And the Lords given me the ability that He wants me to use so I can stand up here and give Him the praise. Arriving back home in Orlando, Payne showed Aaron he was still wearing the W.W.J.D. bracelet. (It can be seen easily on many of the photos of him holding the trophy, such as the one on the right and the one on the book picture at the beginning of this review.) He thanked his Christian fellowship group for their support and those who had communicated Bible verses. Later he explained to a friend that its Jesus that has done this for me. Then he repeated Its Jesus that has changed my life. Payne did play on the Ryder Cup team, which pulled off a spectacular win against the Europeans. It was also an opportunity to display some real sportsmanship, which he did. The next event that caught the nations, and the worlds attention, was the crash of the Learjet on which Payne was a passenger. On the last day of his life, he fixed pancakes for the family. They were up early because Tracey had a doctors appointment. They hugged and kissed goodbye. As she backed out of the garage, he called out I love you, to her and the children, and blew kisses to them. It was a terrific last memory of him for the family. Shortly after 8:00 a.m., Payne traveled with Van Ardan to Orlando International Airport for a business trip. The Learjet was chartered from Sunjet, an Orlando aviation company. The pilot was Michael Kling and the copilot was Stephanie Bellegarrigue. Also joining the group were Bruce Borland and Robert Fraley. Due to some in-flight incident, the occupants of the plane were incapacitated, and the plane flew on until it ran out of gas and plunged into the earth near Mina, South Dakota. The speed at impact was around 600 m.p.h. and the plane made a crater forty feet wide and ten to fourteen feet deep. While the force of the crash obliterated the plane and much else, the National Transportation Board found several items intact. These included Paynes wedding ring, a gold pendant he had worn on a chain around his neck since his engagement in 1981, and amazingly, the W.W.J.D. bracelet. To Tracey, it was as if God were saying Even in the midst of this tragedy, I will have a witness. Also surviving the crash were Paynes Scripture promise books. Tracey was astounded when she leafed through the books and saw what Payne would have read the night before he died. The messages are so appropriate: INTERCESSION Grant that I may be used to open the eyes of others and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Jesus. Acts 26:18 AFFIRMATION Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 THANKSGIVING Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits; Who forgives all your iniquities And heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit And crowns you with love and compassion; Who satisfies your desires with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagles. Psalm 103:1-5 CLOSING PRAYER The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God is my rock; I will take refuge in Him, My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge - My Savior, You save me from violence. I call on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, And I am saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:2-4 Several close friends spoke at Paynes memorial service. One was Paul Azinger. He told the three thousand people there and the millions on television: Payne Stewart has finished the race, he has kept the faith, and now the crown of righteousness is his. Payne Stewart loved life and loved people. . . . During this past year, everyone who knew Payne Stewart saw this dramatic change in his life. They saw in Payne what the Bible calls a `peace which passes all understanding. Only God can do that because only God can change a heart. Paul concluded, saying: It is an honor to stand before you as Payne Stewarts, Robert Fraleys, and Van Ardans friend. And because I knew them so well, I know what they would have wanted me to say in my closing remarks. Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you have done; if you feel the tug of Gods Spirit on your heart, do not turn away. If, like Payne, Robert, and Van, you want to know the happiness and peace that only Jesus Christ can bring, I invite you to confess your sins and receive him as your Savior. Regardless of what your life has brought you, his love is enough. And his peace is for real. Because I knew these men, my life will never be the same. I am so thankful for their friendship, for their character, and their faith. Nearly overcome with emotion, Pauls voice cracked as he said, Good-bye, Van . . . good-bye, Robert . . . good-bye, Payne. We love you and we miss you, but we know we will see you again. At the end of the service, Bobby Clampett and Jeff Blackard passed out W.W.J.D. bracelets to all who attended the memorial. Many of the more than one hundred PGA Tour players who were there put them on and wore them in the Walt Disney Classic the following day. Postscript - A tract on Payne Stewart Payne Stewarts graceful swing was legendary, and his charisma was contagious. With his trademark knickers, his tam oshanter cap and his dashing smile, he ignited the golf world and captured the hearts of fans worldwide. But that was not always so. The old Payne Stewart was rude, according to his mother. Arrogant, according to his wife. Impatient and not very self-confident, according to his caddie. And an all-around pain--according to Stewart himself. There was definitely something new about Stewart during his last few years that people had not seen before. He had conquered bad habits: smoking, dipping and complaining. He was more willing to talk to the press and to autograph seekers, whom, Sports Illustrated reported, he used to regard as lower life forms. Looking back over Payne Stewarts final years, its clear to see that he had become a new man. Jesus Christ had changed Stewarts life, and the greatest indicators of his newfound faith were his own words. At the U.S. Open he made it known to the world that God had done a work in his life. He said, Ive got to give thanks to the Lord for giving me the ability to believe in myself. Without that peace that I have in my heart, I wouldnt be sitting here right now. Regarding that peace, he told Sports Illustrated, There used to be a void in my life, adding, The peace I have now is so wonderful. I dont understand how I lived so long without it. Another time he explained, through tears, to a close friend, I just want everybody to know…its Jesus. Its Jesus thats done this for me, and thats changed my life. In the weeks following Stewarts funeral, his former pastor reported many men calling the church to say, I never had time for God before this. Suddenly Im realizing the more to life than just making a living and taking care of my family. This is something Payne Stewart had realized. And something that he wanted you to know, too. You can know the same peace and new life that Payne Stewart enjoyed by following these Biblical steps: Step 1 God loves us, and He wants us to have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 Step 2 Our sin separates us from God. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Isaiah 59:2 Step 3 God sent Jesus to restore that relationship. He said, I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. John 5:24 Step 4 Our response is to receive Christ. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 You can pray a prayer like this to begin your new life with God: Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am sinful and I need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died to pay the penalty for my sin. I want to turn from my sin and follow You. I invite You to come into my heart and life. In Jesus name, Amen.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 05:01:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015