Payne at Pinehurst

May 3, 2004
One year after blowing a sizable, final-round lead to lose the U.S. Open by a single stroke, Payne Stewart made a remarkable comeback in 1999 and won the coveted tournament in memorable fashion on the No. 2 course at Pinehurst Country Club in North Carolina. But only a few months later, Stewart died in a plane crash after his chartered jet inexplicably lost cabin pressure. Chastain (The Steve Spurrier Story
) recounts the story of this final victory and the talented golfer who was perhaps more famous for his signature knickers and tam-o'-shanters than his many professional achievements. Along with chapters on Donald Ross, the prolific architect who designed Pinehurst No. 2, and the history of the U.S. Open, Chastain describes the circumstances leading up to the 1999 showdown and follows one unknown club professional who qualified for the only PGA Tour event that is truly "open" to anyone able to pay the entry fee and survive the demanding qualifying rounds. Yet this account is so chock-full of quoted remarks—from Stewart's wife, caddy and psychologist to fellow golf professionals, sports commentators and USGA officials—that Chastain hardly has space left over to cram in a few lines of his own. While the author has unearthed some piquant tidbits of golf lore, the extensive interviews anatomize the minutiae of Stewart's life and the overcrowded, piecemeal composition results in a characterless, secondhand narrative. In a tale that is frequently digressive and occasionally tedious, Chastain never explains why this particular Open was the "greatest ever." Agent, Frank R. Scatoni.

May 15, 2004
The 1999 U.S. Open may or may not have been the greatest in the golf tournament's history, but it certainly makes the short list--both for what transpired on the course and for what happened not quite one year later: winner Payne Stewart's tragic death in a bizarre airplane crash. Chastain sets the stage by recounting Stewart's up-and-down career (including his near miss at the 1998 Open) and by providing some background on the tournament itself. Readers of John Feinstein's " Open" (2003) will find much of this material repetitive, especially the tournament context, but once the story shifts to the action itself, the book takes off. Wisely avoiding simple shot-by-shot recounts, Chastain effectively intercuts commentary from the players and their caddies, re-creating the drama of the final round but also delivering plenty of new information about strategy and about the complexity of the course, the highly regarded Pinehurst #2 in North Carolina. Exciting golf history combined with the poignant personal story of Stewart's life and death.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)