A tribute to a great one

For my caddying off-day for the week, I wasn't sure what to do. I thought about checking out Branson, 30 miles to the south, and considered checking out some nearby caverns. But I figured that as a caddy, playing some golf made the most sense. It would be nice to play a round in Missouri as well, to check another state off in the quest of playing in all 50 states.

So I made the nice 20-minute trek north to the Bill and Payne Stewart Golf Course, named in honor of 3-time major champion Payne Stewart and his dad. Payne died way before his time, in a tragic plane crash in 1999, just months after he won his second U.S. Open by a shot over Phil Mickelson.

Before my trip, I had no idea Payne was from Springfield. When I learned this, I was happy to have the chance to play at the course named in his honor. From what I have read, Payne was a great man and ambassador for the game of golf, and the chance to play at 'his' course would be a pleasure.

And when I saw the price online - 18 bucks for 18 holes of (par 70) regulation golf - it was a no-brainer.

The golf itself was nothing to write home about, but it was an enjoyable round nonetheless. The course was fairly flat and easy to walk, while testing your game with a variety of blind tee shots and tricky angles into greens. And after a few holes, I got used to the greens.

The round started off well, and I rolled in a 12-footer for birdie on 3 to get back to even par. From there, it was downhill - I shanked my tee shot into a bush on 4, and away we went. Even my bright spot became a blemish - I hit a beautiful wedge approach to 2 feet on 7, and then missed the putt. Nice.

But still, it was nice to get out on the course in the midst of carrying someone else's bag all week, and I had a couple more highlights mixed in. I got up and down from a buried lie in the bunker for par on 11, and made a downhill 20-footer for par on 16. I even almost knocked in a birdie bid on 17, with the ball coming to rest on the lip. I didn't mind.

It felt like I was dodging rain all day - dark clouds were circling - and the drops started to come down on the 18th fairway. It luckily remained a light drizzle until I finished up, and it didn't pour until just before I got to my car. All good, though. I can handle a few seconds in the rain.

When I finished up on 18, I touched the flag that bears Payne's name and pointed to the sky. Thank you, Payne, for your work in promoting the game of golf and representing it well.