Payne Stewart’s 1999 U.S. Open: The Swing, The Sleeves, The Statement

Before Payne Stewart drained the final putt to win the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, he made another bold stroke—this one with scissors.

Cold, misty air blanketed the course that week. Players bundled up. Stewart? He walked into the Pinehurst merchandise tent, asked for a pair of scissors, and lopped the sleeves off his own rain jacket. Refusing a vest from staffers Patty Thompson and Margaret Swindell, he insisted on his version—jagged edges and all.

It wasn’t just about style, though Stewart’s was always deliberate. The sleeves restricted his swing. Gone. What remained: a sleeveless, navy windbreaker worn over the red-striped USA team polo, pleated knickers, high socks, saddle shoes—and one of the most iconic silhouettes in golf history.

That cut wasn’t clean, but it was perfect. Hours later, Payne sank a 15-footer to beat Phil Mickelson, clenched his fist, and froze in time.

The vest he made, the putt he holed, and the pose he struck—that’s the stuff of legend. And in the Pinehurst clubhouse today, tucked near those famous fairways, sit the very sleeves and scissors he used.

Golf style has never been the same.