Way OT, but I had to ask...the Payne Stewart statue at Pinehurst

[Ronald Montesano]

Am I the only heretic that despises this statue?  I admit that I disliked Stewart's arrogance during his early professional days.  I do hope that the peace and grace attributed to him in his final years was truly as thorough as he, his family and friends, and writers made it out to be.  However...

why must our lasting memory of any golfer be a twisted, contorted, gawky, punchy pose?  Heck, I'd rather see him squeezing Phil's cheeks, saying "you're going to be a daddy!" than that thing they have behind #18 green.  Seems to me that he deserved better and that its creation was a knee-jerk reaction to his passing.

[mike_beene]

I think a lot more of him after seeing the effect his death had on a number of people.I admit that I never pulled for him.He seemed like a clown wearing the plus fours and smacking the gum.I was very disappointed when Mike Reid went bogey bogey bogey to hand Stewart that PGA as he sat smugly looking on. in retrospect it seems he was a good guy at least in his last years.

[PThomas]

seriously, i think he found the Lord in his last few years in this life..he wore a WWJD bracelet, for ex

i thought the statue was pretty cool myself...

[Ronald Montesano]

I'm not against the idea of "a" statue, just not that statue.  His remarkable play on that 72nd hole, the layup, the pitch, the putt...that's the blueprint for how recovery golf should be carried out.

[mike_beene]

and I should add that he was a friend of my putting instructor who thinks very highly of him. I did not know him so my previous post is just an outside impression.The golf world is fairly small so I did not want anyone to get the wrong impression and meant no offense to his friends or family by my post.

[Garland Bayley]

I like the statue quite a bit. It shows the passion, drama, and emotion of sport. Other sports should be envious of what that statue captures.

[Bill Brightly]

I liked the statue well enough to have my picture taken next to it.
Ron, even if you didn't like everything about Payne Stewart, I think you need to re-think your position..life's too short and golf has to much to enjoy.

[PCCraig]

Where is the Michael Cambell statue?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[Kevin Lynch]

Ron -

I'd have to disagree.  If that pose encapsulated some type of arrogant showmanship or some type of premeditated celebration, I may agree with you.  But I think that was a genuine reaction and expression of relief.  After the prior year Open disappointment and thinking he may have handed away another win with a poor drive on 18, it was an iconic image of Golf's Glory.

As for the grace he showed minutes later with Mickelson (and months later with Monty at Brookline), my knowledge of those personal triumphs makes me enjoy the image of his last great golfing triumph even more.  When I stood close to that statue, it was a reminder of mortality, realizing what happened shortly thereafter.

[Steve_Roths]

I remember the last time I saw Payne.  It was at the PGA Champ at Medinah his last year.  He was coming off the 18th green just swarmed by kids wanting his autograph.  He was just signing and signing and then a kid started to cry because he got pushed out of the way by another.  Payne stopped and told everyone to relax because he was going to stay there and sign for everyone until they were happy.

[Ronald Montesano]

I still think it's dorky...Bill, I don't even consider it a position, so I won't be rethinking it.  Thank you for the suggestion, though.

Kevin, last great INDIVIDUAL golfing triumph...as I recall, he was a part of that victorious Ryder Cup team at Brookline.

Guys, not a debate about Payne's character, his foibles, his graces...simply a question about a hunk of metal.

[Terry Lavin]

He won the Open there.  He put Pinehurst #2 back on the map.  He got very dead in a very grisly fashion.  That's how statues get built sometimes...

[Ronald Montesano]

Yes to the first two counts...I will be posing in plus fours, cap and vest in that exact pose, unless someone sides with me.

[Terry Lavin]

Yes to the first two counts...I will be posing in plus fours, cap and vest in that exact pose, unless someone sides with me.

Post du jour!

[Bill Brightly]

How about viewing it as a tribute to the inventor of the sleeveless windshirt

[Jud_T]

Ronald,

I'm with you on this.  Regardless of how one felt about PS when he was alive or the manner in which he passed,  the sculpture is tacky.

[Tim Nugent]

I think a lot more of him after seeing the effect his death had on a number of people.I admit that I never pulled for him.He seemed like a clown wearing the plus fours and smacking the gum.I was very disappointed when Mike Reid went bogey bogey bogey to hand Stewart that PGA as he sat smugly looking on. in retrospect it seems he was a good guy at least in his last years.

But...it was the last time anyone in BEARS attire held a trophy

Judging from the colored sand in the 2 "posing spots" next to it in Bill's photo,  seems like an awful lot of folks like it enough to have it hanging on their wall or in their scrapbook.

[PThomas]

I .

But...it was the last time anyone in BEARS attire held a trophy

.

ouch