Payne Stewart Quotations

But in the end it's still a game of golf, and if at the end of the day you can't shake hands with your opponents and still be friends, then you've missed the point.

People who have never had an addiction don't understand how hard it can be.

Yes, I'm a patriotic person. For these people who disgrace the American way and burn our flag and do all of these things... I say, don't live here and disgrace my country. Go live in the Middle East and see how you like it.

Tiger is the greatest thing that's happened to the tour in a long time. He has brought incredible attention to golf at a time of year when football and the World Series always take precedence. Everything I've heard about him seems to be true.

I very rarely saw Tom Kite around. I've talked to Tom about it. I don't think Michael Jordan needed to be on the captain's cart with Kite; he needed to be walking in the gallery, supporting them from outside the ropes.

Then I would have an occasional cigarette and then I started back dipping. I started dipping last year. My family has asked me again to stop, and I'm trying my best to do that.

For sure I would be a very emotional captain. A very hands-on captain.

If you can't laugh at yourself, then how can you laugh at anybody else? I think people see the human side of you when you do that.

With the media, I could be quick and ugly and critical. I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve.

I don't think it's healthy to take yourself too seriously.

I didn't hesitate to kiss my father in public. And that's how I tried to raise my children. We're physical.

The cast clubs were a big part of it, too. I found I wasn't getting that instant feedback I was used to with a forged blade. The sweet spot is a shade bigger, and when I didn't hit the ball dead center, I didn't know it, because it still felt great.

I'm 42 now, what I would consider prime time.

This thing is for the game of golf, yeah, but trust me, the Europeans don't have that mentality.

I went over before the British Open and played Valderrama thinking that I might make the team, might be a captain's pick. I made the effort to go over there.

Not that money is a driving force. It's an honor to play for your country.

That's why I'm very proud of being American. I'm proud to pay taxes. I pay a lot of taxes, but it sure beats the alternative.

I've just become more conscious about how much I do drink and how often I want to have a drink and things like that. I think being conscious of it will help me to control the urges.

We live in such a sheltered environment in the United States. I've been fortunate enough to have traveled all over the world, and I've seen things you only read about and see on the news.

For a while, I think in 1994, it got to where I didn't want to practice.

If somebody asks for my opinion, I tell them my opinion, whether it's what they want to hear or not.

I don't read magazines much, and I have an awful time with books.

We grew up with so much love in our family.

But I'll tell you something: We had a big family discussion about it recently, my two sisters and I, and I pointed out that we all have the same genes as our mother and we're all susceptible to becoming alcoholics.

I sometimes got distracted easily and allowed my mind to wander when I needed to be focused. It's quite subtle, really, and just being aware of it helps.

For example, I wouldn't hesitate to sit somebody down if he wasn't performing, even if he was the No. 1 player in the world. I've been sat down before.

For one thing, when you're playing as well as I was at the time, you think you can play with anything. That isn't true, of course, but I didn't know it then.

Raymond Floyd. The man knows how to control situations. He was experienced. He didn't let me get overly excited; he kept me in check. It allowed me to free myself up, and I played really well with him.

The two-piece ball I switched to spun too much. One shot would go the distance I thought it should, then the next one would fall short, and then the next one would go long.

These guys who keep on playing but aren't winning, you've got to sit them down and let them figure it out and perform a little gut-check on themselves.

Where I was with my faith last year and where I am now is leaps and bounds.

My goal is to make the Ryder Cup team. I'm tired of us getting beat, and the only way that I can make a difference is to be on the team.

I wouldn't know him if he came up and bit me.

I didn't cry at his funeral. Why, I don't know, except I sensed I was now the man of the family and had to stand up. I kept it inside me.

He was an important part of my life. He introduced me to the game at 4, and for the next 24 years, he was my coach. But more importantly, he was my friend and inspiration.

I was wearing a back brace for a while. It started in '91 at the Open. It got to where I was using the back brace as a crutch instead of working out.

The '92 U.S. Open at Pebble got out of control. I have never played on a harder golf course in harder conditions than that last round at Pebble.

We weren't any good, we didn't have to be good. It was a pro-am. We got up here with Glenn Fry and Steven Stills ... and we sucked.

ADD is much more apparent in children; a lot of teachers can spot it right away. But it isn't just a problem for kids. I probably still have this ADD.

I told you all yesterday that if I went out today and played Payne Stewart's game, I'd be standing here with the trophy. But I didn't do that. I hit six fairways in regulation today; Lee hit 11. I hit 10 greens in regulation; Lee hit 14. Bingo. That's why I didn't win.

their hope in this effort was to make air travel safer ...

I mean, at the time I would rather come here and sit on the lake than go practice and work on my golf game. Today I have a different philosophy.

I'm proud of the fact that my faith in God is so much stronger and I'm so much more at peace with myself than I've ever been in my life,

I love my country. I'm one of those people who puts my hand on my heart when they play the national anthem. Heck, I sing the words.

Invariably something happens at a U.S. Open where the golf course gets out of control one day, they have one pin that's out of control. It always seems to happen. But they've gotten better about the height of the rough.

Invariably something happens at a U.S. Open where the golf course gets out of control one day, they have one pin that's out of control. It always seems to happen. But they've gotten better about the height of the rough.

I think that we all have something in common in that we have dreams. The thing about dreams is sometimes you get to live them out.

I'm going to a special place when I die, but I want to make sure my life is special while I'm here.

A bad attitude is worse than a bad swing.