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In the past 20 years, golf has a small number of images that have burned themselves deep into our brains. Greg Norman hitting his knees on Sunday at the Masters in 1996. A year later, Tiger Woods winning his first major championship and embracing his father, Earl, with such power and love that it made non-golf fans tear up. Payne Stewart, needing to hole a putt on the 18th green at Pinehurst, rolling it in and extending out on one foot, hand in the air, a memory lasting forever.

On Sunday, it will be 10 years since Stewart died tragically in an airplane crash, exactly four months and two days after that putt dropped at the U.S. Open. It was a moment that rocked the golf world, but gave everyone a chance to remember just how special Payne was to the PGA Tour. A religious man, Stewart wore a WWJD (What What Jesus Do) bracelet on his wrist that Sunday at Pinehurst, and, in typical Payne fashion, grabbed Phil Mickelson, who finished second that day, moments after the winning putt dropped and told him, "You're going to be a father," helping to ease the pain of defeat.
Stewart was always an anomaly to me. His clothes were different, from the NFL sporting days to the classic plus fours, he has been one of the few golfers of any generation to completely change styles and make it work. He was a classy guy in every sense of the word, even when the cocky attitude would surface for a second. That's who he was. He knew he was good, and he should have, because he was.

If Stewart was around today, who knows how many more major championships the straight-hitter would have claimed. When the putter was hot, his game was as tough as anyone, and watching him compete with the talent out there now would have been a treat for all of us.

He was charismatic, fun to watch and a damn good golfer, along with being the type of person you'd want to be friends with. The plane crash that claimed his life? Yeah, he was on his way to Dallas to see about building a new home course for the SMU golf team, his alma mater.

With character a problem in sports these days, it's easy to forget about guys like Stewart. He was a family man who, seconds after winning the biggest golf tournament in the world, spoke to a competitor about family, knowing that no matter how many trophies he could add to the case, the end of the day is all about those around you ... the important ones in your life.

Nobody expected we'd lose Payne so soon, and it's crazy to think it was 10 years ago. On Sunday, if you're planning on going out to your local course and slap the round ball around with some buddies, try and take a minute to remember Stewart. His outfits, his smile and that lasting image of his arm outstretched, leg in the air, king of the world for a moment. It's only fitting that a putting tip from, who else, his wife was the reason he may have won that final major championship, at Pinehurst 10 years ago.