Payne Stewart: The Authorized Biography [Hardcover]

Tracey Stewart (Author), Ken Abraham (Collaborator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

Written by Tracey Stewart, this is the only authorized biography of Payne Stewart. The book includes a 16-page full-color photo insert depicting the amazing life, faith and career of Payne Stewart.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The problem with most authorized biographies is just that--they're authorized. They praise, adore, defend, excuse, inspire, whitewash, and love their subjects, which, in the end, conspires to keep the reader at a distance. Tracey Stewart's homage to her late husband Payne Stewart does all of that. It rarely allows a closer view than that available from where she witnessed most of his stirring final round victory in the 1999 U.S. Open: on TV.

Which is too bad, because the sartorially splendid golfer was more interesting and complex than that. Despite his deep family and religious convictions--when he played, he wore a bracelet with initials that stood for "What Would Jesus Do?"--he was certainly no saint; his early reputation as a hell-raiser was matched by a palpable whiff of arrogance later on. His accomplishments--three majors among them--were great, but his flaws were at least as fascinating as his successes. So, of course, was his tragic end, in an almost unimaginably bizarre plane crash not long after his great comeback triumphs in the Open and as a member of the victorious Ryder Cup team.

All the necessary facts are here. So are the various scriptures and devotionals Stewart relied on, the joys he felt in coaching his son's soccer team, his wrenching loss at the '98 Open, and the tears of relief he shed when he won at Pebble Beach--and, of course, Pinehurst--a year later. And so, too, is the occasional startling detail that defines a life--such as his son's request to bury his father in Payne's favorite Jimmy Buffett T-shirt, and Tracey's having to explain that no body was recovered from the plane crash. But too few other moments bring anything approaching that candid closeness. The rest comes off like a life passed through a protective filter, leaving the reader where golfers would rather not be--on the fringe. --Tally Swinfen

About the Author

Tracey Stewart was born in Rockhampton, Australia, and attended school in Queensland. She met Payne Stewart in March of 1980 in Malaysia. They were engaged one year later in Singapore and married November 10, 1981. Currently, she resides in Orlando, Florida with their two children, Chelsea (14) and Aaron (10).

Ken Abraham is the author of over forty books. He collaborated with professional golfer Paul Azinger on Zinger! as well as baseball All-Star catcher Gary Carter on The Gamer. In 1999 he released a devotional for golfers entitled Fairways. His collaborations have been featured on "20/20", "Larry King Live", "Good Morning America", The Morning Show", "The Today Show", as well as The Nashville Network and the Family Channel. Abraham currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Broadman Press; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805423966
• ISBN-13: 978-0805423969
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,384,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( S ) > Stewart, Payne
  • #5 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( W ) > Woods, Tiger

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, May 16, 2000

By 

"gottliebschaller" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Payne Stewart: The Authorized Biography (Hardcover)

Payne Stewart was a class act. When he was taken from us, the world lost much more than just another professional golfer.

This book gives a hauntingly picturesque view of Payne's life. It is meticulously accurate, and is a very great book to have on your shelf. You will not regret a read-through of this.

Good-bye Payne, me miss you . . .

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding, June 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Payne Stewart: The Authorized Biography (Hardcover)

the best biography of the year. what a wonderful tribute to the life of payne stewart. this book truly captured the real payne stewart, unlike the other books that have been published by so called friends..if you never had the privilege of knowing payne stewart you will feel as if you did after reading this book. i know this had to be difficult for tracey to write, but what a gift this is to her children and to all of payne's friends, and fans. we all miss him very much. thanks tracey for sharing with all the story of the real payne stewart. a loving husband, a wonderful father, a great friend, and brother in christ. he will never be forgotten

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best biographies of the year!, June 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Payne Stewart: The Authorized Biography (Hardcover)

The Payne Stewart biography authored by the late golfer's widow is one of the most moving, inspiring biographies I've read. More than just a sports book, or a book about a celebrity--the life and legacy of Payne Stewart, on and off the course, comes shining through. Each page reinforces the reasons why this story deserved to be told. Tracey Stewart describes her husband with candor and realism, tempering the emotion of her loss with the rock-solid assurance her faith provides that Payne is at peace.