The History
and Career of Payne

	Before his death, Payne got to stand with some of the greatest American players of the game at the 1999 Ryder Cup. Here, pictured with one of his good friends, Tiger Woods, Payne stands tall during the "National Anthem." It was here, at the Ryder Cup, that the Americans, with the heart and charge of Stewart, came back to win the tournament.

At Pine Hurst Number Two, the host course of the 1999 U.S Open, a great showdown between Payne and Phil Mickelson took place in the final round. Both showing great comfort to the course with low scores, Payne edged out Mickelson on the final hole with a 15-foot putt. The picture to the right shows the reaction of Payne after he had made the putt.

Soon Payne's life came to an end. The plane crashed into a South Dakota pasture four hours after it left Orlando, Fla., on a flight to Texas. It flew about 1,400 miles across the country before it ran out of fuel. Investigators are looking into the possibility that the jet lost cabin pressure soon after takeoff, causing everyone on board to die or lose consciousness from no oxygen. The recorder was damaged greatly when the plane slammed into the ground at about 600 mph. The recorder was sent to Seattle to help find clues to the cause of the crash. Investigators fear the cause of the crash will never be known.