On a sad day, Payne Stewart’s family is looking for memories from fans

Twenty-five years ago this month, golf lost a legend and a family lost a lot.

In the quarter century since Payne Stewart died in a plane crash, his family – led by his wife, Tracey, daughter Chelsea and son Aaron – have worked tirelessly to keep his memory alive. Those efforts created a charity (the Payne Stewart Family Foundation); annual honor (Payne Stewart Award); children’s camps; various golf activities and, most recently, the Payne Stewart Clothing Collection, which was intended to celebrate his incredible fashion sense.

In that regard, we have much to celebrate.

As Stewart’s friend David Feherty says, Stewart was a great player, but “his game was overshadowed by his style, his eloquence and his ability to embrace life to the fullest.”

Regardless of whether they ever got the chance to see him compete in person, many fans remember Stewart fondly. He left an impression. Stories are fiction. And to help preserve them, the Stewart family is inviting anyone who has been inspired by him to share their memory of him on the Collection’s special “Fist Pump Memory Book” website. Fans are also encouraged to post photos, videos and other memories on their social media and tag @PayneStewartCollection.

In return, Payne Stewart Collection will randomly award $200 gift certificates to 25 recipients.

Throughout October, The Collection will offer a 25 percent discount on all web purchases. A portion of those sales will be donated to the Payne Stewart Family Foundation, which supports organizations that provide educational opportunities, sports programs and other related activities to underserved children.

Notable in this month’s tribute are the names of those who died in Stewart’s flight on October 25, 1999: Robert Fraley, Van Ardan, Bruce Borland, and pilots Michael Kling and Stephanie Bellegarrigue.

For more information on “The Fist Pump Memory Book,” visit paynestewartcollection.com.

Josh Sens

Golf.com Editor

Golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a contributor to GOLF Magazine since 2004 and now contributes to all aspects of GOLF. His work has been honored in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: The Cooking and Partying Handbook.