Death of Cory Lidle brings to mind the life of Payne Stewart

If you’re a fan of professional golf, the death of New York Yankees’ pitcher Cory Lidle in an airplane accident immediately sent your thoughts back to 1999, when we lost one of our own - Payne Stewart.

With his stylish dress and even more stylish play, Stewart’s too short life ended at age 42, in a tragic and infamous Lear Jet accident, which saw all on board die of lack of oxygen due to a loss of cabin pressure, before the plane crashed in South Dakota.

Especially with the U.S. team’s dismal failure in the last three Ryder Cups, one can’t help but wonder if Stewart - a member of the victorious 1999 U.S. team - would have been able to be the captain that would have turned things around for the U.S side in either of the past three times out.

Regardless, with 11 tour victories, three major titles - including a memorable U.S. Open victory in 1999 - and a sunny, competitive and engaging personality, Stewart has been missed.

This is by no means trying to take away from the life or death of Lidle. Such is the nature of unexpected deaths, however. They make us look back in appreciation at the lives of those we’ve lost too soon.

–WKW