[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 91 (Thursday, June 24, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H4879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        SALUTE TO PAYNE STEWART

  (Mr. BLUNT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, on an evening when our rivalries on the floor 
are transferred to the baseball diamond, I want to talk for a minute 
about sports.
  Seldom are we allowed to see deep into a person's mind, but last week 
in Springfield, Missouri, native Payne Stewart let us see deep into 
his. Standing on the green of the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open, Stewart 
needed to make a 15 foot putt to win the championship.
  Despite the enormous pressure involved and knowing that the world was 
watching, Stewart stepped to the ball and sank the seemingly impossible 
putt for the tenth PGA Tour victory of his career. As the rain fell, 
Stewart and his caddy celebrated with a jumping embrace on the 18th 
green in Pinehurst, North Carolina. With this win, Stewart also earned 
himself a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. However Payne Stewart says 
that no other tournament he ever wins will be bigger than the 1982 Quad 
Cities Open championship. That was the only tournament victory his 
father, a golf pro in Springfield who taught him to play golf, ever saw 
him win. So on Father's Day 1999, with his wife at his side and his 
children watching from home, Payne Stewart proved not only to be a 
great golfer, but also someone with strong family values. These are the 
attributes we should all strive to maintain no matter what profession 
we choose to pursue.
  A hearty congratulations is in order to Payne Stewart for the winning 
of his second U.S. open and third PGA major of his career. I thank 
Payne for setting a good example for families across America. Fellow 
southwest Missourians are proud of him.

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