US OPEN '24: Payne Stewart indelibly linked to Pinehurst
For all the history at Pinehurst No. 2, it's nearly impossible to think of the U.S. Open venue in North Carolina without remembering Payne Stewart
Pinehurst No. 2 in the sandhills region of North Carolina has 117 years of golf history behind it. That includes a PGA Championship not many remember, a Ryder Cup before anyone cared and one U.S. Open champion no one can forget.
No trip to Pinehurst No. 2 is complete without posing with the statue of Payne Stewart striking as famous a pose as any in U.S. Open history — left leg planted, right arm thrust forward after he holed a 15-foot par putt on the 18th hole for a one-shot victory over Phil Mickelson.
It's hard to go to Pinehurst without thinking about Payne.
Any trip would be emotional for his children, especially the 25-year anniversary of his 1999 U.S. Open title, which came four months before Stewart, three associates and both pilots perished in a freak plane crash.
