From Publishers Weekly
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." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
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. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"You don't have to be from North Carolina to understand what happened at the 1999 U.S. Open, and how it felt; it was an Open brushed by an angel's wing, an Open that in retrospect seems almost fictional. That Sunday in Pinehurst, when it all happened there in the mist, is one of the most memorable days in the history of the U.S. Open. Everything about it is more profound now, and yet somehow unreal."
- Ron Green Sr., PGATOUR.com columnist and author of Shouting at Amen Corner



Review
"You don't have to be from North Carolina to understand what happened at the 1999 U.S. Open, and how it felt; it was an Open brushed by an angel's wing, an Open that in retrospect seems almost fictional. That Sunday in Pinehurst, when it all happened there in the mist, is one of the most memorable days in the history of the U.S. Open. Everything about it is more profound now, and yet somehow unreal."
- Ron Green Sr., PGATOUR.com columnist and author of Shouting at Amen Corner



Book Description
It has been called the greatest U.S. Open in the Open's more than one-hundred-year history. In Payne at Pinehurst, veteran sports journalist Bill Chastain crafts the dramatic story of the 1999 U.S. Open by combining extensive research with interviews of those who made this a unique event. Central to this amazing story is Payne Stewart. Stewart held a four-shot lead heading into the final day of the 1998 U.S. Open only to suffer a devastating defeat at the hands of his old nemesis, Lee Janzen.

How does a professional golfer take such an emotional shot and go back for more? Payne at Pinehurst details how Stewart chose to return to the arena and compete for the championship that meant so much to him.

Known for the fashion statements he made each week on the PGA Tour wearing his plus fours and tam, Stewart had worked hard to become a better person and find peace in his life. His journey after losing the '98 Open to making a special showing a year later was made possible in large part to his introspection and courage in discovering the person within.

A legendary golf tournament requires a legendary course. Pinehurst No. 2, located in the Sandhills of North Carolina, hosted the '99 Open. Designed by renowned golf-course architect Donald Ross, Pinehurst No. 2 had long been recognized as one of the best courses in the world, yet it had never hosted a U.S. Open. The course vastly differed from other "U.S. Open-type" courses. Bill Chastain analyzes how such an old course, with its unique dangers, could stymie the top golfers in the world and prevent them from going low.

Stewart's conquest of Pinehurst No. 2, while fending off Mickelson, Tiger Woods, David Duval, and Vijay Singh in an epic battle where every swing held significance, is the stuff of which golf legends are made. From compelling action by the best golfers in the world to the tournament's dramatic conclusion, Payne at Pinehurst shows readers why the 1999 U.S. Open is regarded as the best U.S. Open ever played.



About the Author
Bill Chastain spent 12 years as a sportswriter for The Tampa Tribune working as a columnist and baseball writer. His byline has appeared in numerous national publications and he has written two other books, The Steve Spurrier Story: From Heisman to Head Ball Coach and The Streak. Chastain lives in Tampa with his wife, Patti, and their two children, Carly and Kel.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It has been called the greatest U.S. Open in the Open's more than one-hundred-year history. In Payne at Pinehurst, veteran sports journalist Bill Chastain crafts the dramatic story of the 1999 U.S. Open by combining extensive research with interviews of those who made this a unique event. Central to this amazing story is Payne Stewart. Stewart held a four-shot lead heading into the final day of the 1998 U.S. Open only to suffer a devastating defeat at the hands of his old nemesis, Lee Janzen.

How does a professional golfer take such an emotional shot and go back for more? Payne at Pinehurst details how Stewart chose to return to the arena and compete for the championship that meant so much to him.

Known for the fashion statements he made each week on the PGA Tour wearing his plus fours and tam, Stewart had worked hard to become a better person and find peace in his life. His journey after losing the '98 Open to making a special showing a year later was made possible in large part to his introspection and courage in discovering the person within.

A legendary golf tournament requires a legendary course. Pinehurst No. 2, located in the Sandhills of North Carolina, hosted the '99 Open. Designed by renowned golf-course architect Donald Ross, Pinehurst No. 2 had long been recognized as one of the best courses in the world, yet it had never hosted a U.S. Open. The course vastly differed from other "U.S. Open-type" courses. Bill Chastain analyzes how such an old course, with its unique dangers, could stymie the top golfers in the world and prevent them from going low.

Stewart's conquest of Pinehurst No. 2, while fending off Mickelson, Tiger Woods,David Duval, and Vijay Singh in an epic battle where every swing held significance, is the stuff of which golf legends are made. From compelling action by the best golfers in the world to the tournament's dramatic conclusion, Payne at Pinehurst shows readers why the 1999 U.S. Open is regarded as the best U.S. Open ever played.

FROM THE CRITICS

Bob Ivry - The Washington Post

Under Chastain's microscope, Stewart ultimately emerges a fulfilled man, a winner in life as well as on the links. A remarkable photo of a triumphant Stewart happily clutching the Open trophy seems to confirm Chastain's assertion that the golfer made it to the top of the world before he left it.

Publishers Weekly