Payne Stewart's Son Following Father's Footsteps to Pinehurst

Like the Michael Jordan jumper against the Utah Jazz in 1998, there is a lasting memory in the golf world from the late 90's that would be tough to push out of any fan's memory.

The 18th hole ... U.S. Open ... 15-footer for par and the victory ... putt is stroked ... it's heading to the hole ... one arm outstretched, one foot off the ground ... and ... one final championship for one of the nicest guys to ever play the game.

Payne Stewart's legacy at Pinehurst No. 2, the site of his second U.S. Open that came four months before he died in a plane crash, is one that will always be around. This week, at the North and South Amateur, Payne's son Aaron Stewart will be continuing the legacy on those turtle-backed greens, hoping to follow in his father's infamous footsteps.

"There's hopes and desires and dreams, but it'd be awesome" to win at Pinehurst, Stewart said. "I can't think of a better caddie to have on the bag, so it would be really special. I'm just going to go out (Tuesday) and play my best, and whatever happens from there, keep focusing on that and not think about the outcome. Stay present."

The caddie Aaron is speaking of is Mike Hicks, the man that lugged Payne's bag when he was battling Phil Mickelson in 1999. While he will have a professional on the bag, Aaron, a red-shirt sophomore at Southern Methodist University, will be facing a daunting task at Pinehurst. The North and South is one of the premier amateur events in the nation, with guys like Hal Sutton, Davis Love III and Jack Nicklaus taking home the trophy prior to their professional careers.

No matter the added weight of the task at hand for Aaron because of all that will be bouncing around the 20-year-old's head this week, just having another Stewart on the grounds at Pinehurst, competing to win a championship, has to be good news for the game of golf.

"Our family has always thought very highly of the people here and Pinehurst overall, so when I found out about the North and South, I thought if I could get in, it'd be a lot of fun to play," Stewart said.

"Fun to play?" I can already see a lot of Payne in him already.