Stewart was much liked and respected by the golfing fraternity for championing good sportsmanship in a game that he loved and enjoyed. Payne, aged 42 was killed in a plane crash on Monday, October 25, 1999. He clinched his place among the great players when he held off Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and holed a tricky 15 foot putt on the last green to win the US Open championship at Pinehurst, North Carolina, in June, 1999. It was his third victory in a major championship, following on his triumph in the US PGA in 1989, and the US Open in 1991. And it made up for his disappointment in 1998 when he had been beaten into second place by Lee Janzen after going into the last round with a four-stroke lead. Stewart was instantly recognisable on the course for his 'plus-fours', loud checks and flat caps. He possessed a peerless swing, while his relentless gum-chewing betrayed his determination and concentration on the task in hand. And after America's recent victory at Brookline, Boston, Stewart lambasted sections of the crowd for the abuse they had hurled at Colin Montgomerie, thus ending his career as the apostle of fair play.