Stewart's 15-footer rolls into golf history

The putt was only for par. The distance was just 15 feet, a slight bend to the right.

Given what was at stake, and the history of the man on the green, it might go down as one of the most memorable shots in a major championship.

"When I looked up, it was about 2 feet away from the hole and breaking right into the center of the cup," Payne Stewart said after capturing the U.S. Open on Sunday. "I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't believe I had accomplished my dream."

And now that putt on the 18th green at Pinehurst No. 2 -- made under the most excruciating pressure golf can offer -- takes its place in the game's lore.

Right there with Tom Watson's chip-in for a birdie in the 1982 Open at Pebble Beach. Right there with Gene Sarazen's double eagle in the 1935 Masters. Right there with Ben Hogan's 1-iron into the eighth green at Merion in the 1950 Open.

This was the first time in the 99-year history of the Open that the tournament was won by a putt that long on the 72nd hole.

In knocking in that putt, Stewart avoided an 18-hole playoff the next day with Phil Mickelson and provided the Open with one of its most riveting finishes.

"To question his toughness, I don't think would be fair. ... He's going to represent the United States well as our national champion," Mickelson said.

Stewart became only the 13th player to win the U.S. Open at least twice. It also was his third major championship -- he won the 1989 PGA Championship and the 1991 U.S. Open. That's one more than Greg Norman, just as many as Hale Irwin and Nick Price.

"Where it puts me in the golf world is, I'm a pretty good and accomplished player," Stewart said. "Nobody can ever take that away from me, no matter what's been written about me."

Lately, what had been written about Stewart had to do with failure.

Never mind that he won 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine by making up two strokes over the last three holes against Scott Simpson, first to get into a playoff, then to win the next day. He failed to put enough pressure on an inexperienced Lee Janzen in 1993. He blew a four-stroke lead against Janzen last year at Olympic Club.

No other player in the history of the U.S. Open -- not Hogan, not Bobby Jones, not Jack Nicklaus -- had led after any of the first three rounds as much as Stewart. All he had to show for it was one U.S. Open title.

His only victories since then were the Houston Open in 1995, where Scott Hoch virtually handed him the tournament, and in February at Pebble Beach, where the tournament was called after 54 holes because of rain.

Stewart said then he wanted to prove he could win over 72 holes. No one can question that now, and Stewart for once doesn't have to answer to anybody.

"What happened last year at the U.S. Open ... all my friends came up and said, 'Boy, you sure tried. It was a great effort. You're a great competitor,"' Stewart said. "I didn't want to hear that, and that motivated me."

After the tournament, Stewart sounded a lot like Nicklaus did before it began.

Nicklaus recalled his first chance to win a U.S. Open. He had a one-stroke lead in the final round at Cherry Hills until he three-putted the next two greens, missed two short birdie putts and watched Palmer charge from behind to win the 1960 U.S. Open.

"Every time you lose, you learn something," Nicklaus said.

Those are words with which Stewart can identify.

"I just think I learned a lot from last year," Stewart said. ``If you can learn from defeat, then I think that makes you a much better player."

Now, Stewart shares something else in common with Nicklaus. Only four other players have won the U.S. Open the year after they were runner-up -- Alex Smith in 1906, John McDermott in 1911 and Jones twice in the 1920s.

Nicklaus was the last player to replace a sour taste with a sweet victory. That took place in 1972 at Pebble Beach, where the U.S. Open moves next year.

Perhaps Mickelson will learn from his best run at his first major. Mickelson made his U.S. Open debut in 1992 at Pebble Beach, shot a 68 in the first round and then missed the cut with an 81.

Most people figured Mickelson would have won a major by now. After the way he played Pinehurst, it might not be too far off.

"I think it will be interesting to see if I'm able to break through when I get in this situation again," Mickelson said. "And it will be interesting to see how long it takes me to get back in this situation."

AP