Double Bogey, Double Bogey Heartbreak
Payne Stewart gives away 1985 Byron Nelson Golf Classic with disappointing finish
This week, the PGA TOUR visits TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, TX for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Although this event is not a Signature Event, Scottie Scheffler is in the field. It will be hard to top the excitement from Aronimink and the PGA Championship. Congratulations to Aaron Rai on winning the Wannamaker Trophy. The Tour Backspin journey through the past dials in 1985 and the Byron Nelson Golf Classic where Payne Stewart seemed to have the championship in hand before a double bogey on the 72nd hole. Scroll down to learn more.
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Congratulations to Dave Wolfe and Mike May for beating my pick (Scottie Scheffler -2) in the PGA Championship. Dave had Ludvig Åberg who finished -5, and Mike had Justin Rose (-3). Bill Bride had Ben Griffin who finished tied with Scheffler at -2, and Doug Posten had Scheffler.
To the winners, we’ll send out your Tour Backspin 19th Hole Hot Sauce in a couple of days when we receive our new shipment. To Bill and Doug, we’ll send a little something to you as well.
Thanks for playing, and get your picks in for the U.S. Open for your chance to win.
The Tour Backspin Poll
In last week’s Tour Backspin Poll we asked you who has the best chance at achieving a career Grand Slam this year? Jordan Spieth at the PGA Championship, or Scottie Scheffler at the U.S. Open? All respondents thought that Scheffler has a better chance at the career Grand Slam, which should make watching the U.S. Open even more fun this year.
What did you think of the course setup at Aronimink? Do you agree with Rory McIlroy that a bunched up leaderboard is a sign of a poor setup, or did you love the excitement of having so many players in the mix? Let us know in this week’s Tour Backspin Poll.
Bob Eastwood Unlikely Winner at the Nelson
After Payne Stewart finished his collegiate career at Southern Methodist University in 1979, he turned professional. With high hopes, he entered the 1979 Fall PGA TOUR Qualifying School intent on earning his playing card. He failed to finish in the top 25, the cutoff for earning a card, and spent the next two years playing on the Asian Tour, where he won twice.
He finally earned his playing privileges at the 1981 Spring Qualifying School, where he finished tied for 11th. Other notable players who won their card at that Q-School included Mark Calcavecchia, Denis Watson, and Larry Rinker.
As he went out on tour, he wanted to distinguish himself from the other players and began wearing plus-four knickers. The tactic worked, and he became a fan favorite.
Stewart’s first win came in 1982 at the Miller High Life Quad Cities Open, and he added another win in 1983 at the Walt Disney World Golf Classic. Then, winning became almost impossible for him.
In May of 1985, he arrived at Las Colinas Sports Club in Irving, TX, for the Byron Nelson Golf Classic with two top-five finishes for the year, including a tie for 5th at the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, and a tie for 4th at the Houston Open the week before the Nelson. He knew he was putting himself in a position to win a golf tournament, but he was frustrated that he hadn’t been able to seal the deal.
“I’ve had real good chances to win four or five other tournaments, it just hasn’t happened.”
The defending champion, Craig Stadler, felt similarly frustrated. Every time that he was in a position to win in the last two-and-a-half years, somebody stepped up with a good round to beat him to the winner’s circle, except at the 1984 Byron Nelson Classic.
“I’ve had real good chances to win four or five other tournaments, it just hasn’t happened,” Stadler said to David Moore, the sports writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, before teeing off on Wednesday for his pro-am round.
Stadler opened his defense of the Byron Nelson with a first-round 67, four-under par on the 7,002-yard Las Colinas Sports Club course. Stewart carded the same score, and the two were four strokes behind the leader, Mac O’Grady.
O’Grady was one of the most enigmatic players on the circuit. After securing his playing card, on his 17th Q-School attempt, in 1982, he clashed with Deane Beman and the PGA TOUR. After he took offense to a 1978 Sports Illustrated article about him, he refused to talk to the media. Members of the media were perplexed as the article did not appear to be derogatory.
So, despite a course-record 63 in the first round of the Byron Nelson, O’Grady was not meeting with the press. O’Grady held a one-shot lead over Andrew Magee, a rookie on the Tour who made a bogey on the 17th hole.
Mike Holland was another stroke back at 65, but he was just happy to be playing golf after a health scare (See Bonus Story).
“It looked like I was going to birdie them all.”
O’Grady started his second round from the 10th tee, and as he came off the 9th green, his final hole, after shooting a 69 for a 132 total, he was surrounded by reporters and cameras.
“I’d love to talk, but I can’t,” he said to them as he jumped into a golf cart and was whisked away.
His 132 total was good for a three-stroke lead over a trio of players: Peter Oosterhuis, Bob Eastwood, and Buddy Gardner. But, it was a player tied with John Cook at 136, Tom Watson, who may have caused the most concern for the leader. The four players above Watson on the leaderboard had won a grand total of three tournaments on the PGA TOUR, and Eastwood won two of those.
Eastwood shot a 66 in the second round, the low round of the day. He started his round on the back nine, and he birdied the first three holes he played.
“It looked like I was going to birdie them all,” Eastwood said after his round. “But that stopped real soon, on the next hole when I hit the ball into the water. I had to scramble for a bogey.”
Stadler added a 70 in the second round for a 137 total, while Stewart followed his first round 67 with a 71 for a 138 total.
After being whisked away in the golf cart, O’Grady agreed to speak to Tom Place, PGA TOUR director of communications.
“Anytime you can play this well among all those good players, it’s an inspiration,” O’Grady was quoted as saying by Place. “He said that if he came to the press room that he might say some things that he shouldn’t, so it’s best not to come down at all.”
“If he’s still there Sunday, he’ll be mellowed enough to want to talk to somebody,” host Byron Nelson told Moore of the Star-Telegram. “It would be his own loss if it would continue.”
Payne Stewart charged up the leaderboard on Saturday, shooting a 66 for a three-round total of 204, putting himself in a position to win once again. O’Grady added another 69 and led Stewart by three. Keith Fergus got around in 67 and was at 205, tied with Eastwood, who fired a 70. O’Grady got his two birdies late in his round, at the 15th and 16th holes. Stadler was putting up a stout title defense after a third round 69 put him at 206.
Fergus’ story was much like Stewart’s in that they both had been contenders coming down the stretch, but couldn’t close the deal. In fact, they were playing partners in the last group the week before in Houston before being edged out by Ray Floyd.
“If I keep playing this well and keep staying in contention, I’m going to win,” insisted Fergus after his round.
“I know I’m going to eventually win,” Stewart said about his frustration at not securing a tour title since 1983. “I’m going to be on the Tour for a long time, and the more chances I give myself, the better the odds.”
Stewart showed up for Sunday’s final round on Mother’s Day, wearing his “Pony-colored” knickers in a nod to his alma mater, SMU. He was playing in the final group with O’Grady and, after he made three straight birdies on the front nine, he watched O’Grady succumb to the pressure. O’Grady eventually faded to a 74 while Stewart, Eastwood, and Tom Watson all lit up the leaderboard.
Eastwood bogeyed the 10th hole after three-putting, while Stewart birdied the 11th hole to take a four-stroke lead. Eastwood birdied the 12th hole, but when Stewart birdied the 13th hole to get to 14-under, Eastwood figured he was in a battle with the charging Tom Watson for second place. Watson had two bogeys coming in but still managed to post a 66 for a total of 275.
“What the hell, knock it in.”
Playing in front of Stewart, Eastwood arrived at the final green three shots behind Stewart, and he faced a 45-foot birdie putt.
“It was one you don’t expect to make, though,” he would say later. “It broke left and was on a plateau. But, Craig Stadler walked behind me and said, ‘What the hell, knock it in.’ ”
So, he did. It gave him a round of 67, bringing his total to 272. Before Eastwood’s putt, Stewart stood on the final tee, having made only three bogeys all week. He seemed to have this title in the bag.
He then drove it into a fairway bunker. After making his monster putt at the final hole, Eastwood went to the scorer’s tent and signed his card. When he came out of the tent, he saw a ball sail over the green and into a bunker. When he learned that it was Stewart’s ball, he decided to hang around the green and watch the finish. And what a wild finish it was.
“I didn’t expect to be here. But here I am.”
Stewart’s 4-iron out of the fairway bunker landed in a bunker left of the green. He caught too much ball when he hit out of the bunker, sending his ball over the green into another bunker, the shot that Eastwood saw as he came out of the scorer’s tent. He splashed out of that bunker to 18 feet and then missed the winning bogey putt, sending the tournament into a sudden-death playoff.
In the playoff, which started at the par-4 16th hole, Eastwood hit a perfect drive while Stewart found a fairway bunker, yet again.
“I thought Payne had carried the bunker and bounced back in,” Eastwood told reporters after the playoff. “I thought he’d have a good lie and have a shot. But when I walked past it, I saw that he was buried.”
Thinking that a par would win him the title, Eastwood played a conservative 4-iron approach shot, but hit it fat into a greenside bunker. Stewart could only advance his ball 20 yards and then hit his next shot over the green. His chip ran 12 feet past the hole, and he missed his bogey putt. Eastwood two-putted for a bogey and the unexpected title.
“I didn’t expect to be here,” said Eastwood, who won his third tournament in 13 years of being on the Tour. “But here I am.”
CBS cameras caught Stewart and his wife, Tracey, holding hands and slowly walking through knee-high grass back to the clubhouse after the playoff loss. When he got there, he spoke to the press.
“Someday,” Stewart wistfully said, “I’ll learn to finish it off. I was there today, and I will be again. I knocked on the door again. Maybe next time, I’ll use the doorbell. Maybe I’ll be there again next week. Maybe I’ll just have to win at Colonial.”
You had to respect Stewart for talking with the press so openly after the heartbreaking loss. It was a far cry from the silent O’Grady.
Here’s what I’ve written about the PGA Championship in the past:
“For My Next Trick, I’ll Need a Volunteer” (2022) Trick shot backwards and between the legs helps Bruce Devlin win at the Byron Nelson.
“Remembering Don January” (2023) The passing of a major champion and 10-time winner on the PGA TOUR.
“Floyd and Crenshaw Duel at Nelson” (2024) This duel came down to the last two holes at Preston Trail.
“Who Needs Practice? He’d Rather Fish” (2025) Bruce Lietzke did not spend time beating balls on the range. He still won the 1988 GTE Byron Nelson Classic.
WHAT HOLE IS IT?
Ryan Ross poses with the Herbert C. Leeds Memorial Trophy awarded to the annual WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest winner (for a year). If you know the hole Ryan is featured holding the trophy, email me at: larry@tourbackspin.com and I’ll send you a bottle of the Tour Backspin 19th Hole Hot Sauce if you’re correct.
Herbert C. Leeds Memorial Trophy Winners:
2021 Rob Noble
2022 Owen McClain
2023 Bruce Effisimo
2024 Doug Posten
2025 Ryan Ross
Congratulations to David Rihm, our 2026 WHII leader, for winning the WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest last week. David beat four other correct answers in the blind drawing. The correct answer was the 1st hole at the Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, PA. We’re adding $10 to David’s discount code in The Tour Backspin Golf Shop.
Using a discount code requires a few steps to complete. If you’re having trouble, email me at larry@tourbackspin.com and I’ll send you step-by-step instructions. Next up, new additions to the Tour Backspin Golf Shop including our new diner coffee cup, and wall art. Check out the Tour Backspin Golf Shop HERE. It’s the only place you can order the famous Tour Backspin 19th Hole Hot Sauce.
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Bonus Story
Mike Holland’s Health Battle
Mike Holland was just glad to be playing in the 1985 Byron Nelson Golf Classic and not in a hospital. For two years, he’d been battling a baffling health condition, one that took a while to get a proper diagnosis.
In early 1983, he began to feel numbness creeping up his arm that he tried to ignore.
“The same thing happened to J.R. Richard.”
“I ignored it until one day late in 1983,” he told Charles Clines, a writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, after the first round at the Nelson. Holland opened with a 65 and was in solo third place, two shots from Mac O’Grady’s leading 63. “I was driving and stopped at a traffic light. I put my arm up on the back of the passenger’s seat, and it immediately went to sleep. I just drove directly to the doctor’s office.”
He consulted multiple doctors before he was correctly diagnosed with having an extra rib, located near his collarbone, that was impinging on an artery, making him a prime candidate for a stroke.
“The same thing happened to J.R. Richard,” Holland said about the Houston Astros pitcher who was felled by a stroke while warming up for a game on July 30, 1980, and would never throw another pitch in a major league game.
“I went to four doctors before they found out what was wrong,” Holland told Clines. “One said I had Hodgkin’s disease.”
Once the ailment was correctly diagnosed, Holland had trouble finding a surgeon willing to perform the corrective operation. There was too much concern about nerve damage during the operation that would derail Holland’s golf career. He finally found a doctor who would operate in Dennis Tyras of Columbia, SC. Still, Holland had to be convinced to undergo the procedure.
“The doctor told me I could fall to the ground with a stroke at any time,” Holland related. “After he told me that, I had the operation four days later.”
After the operation, Holland attempted a comeback too soon, delaying his recovery. Once recovered, he sustained a broken bone in his left foot after a freak accident during the LaJet tournament in Abilene, TX. From 1983 through 1984, he won around $16,000, and his view on the vagabond life of the PGA TOUR soured.
“I had been so obsessed with golf that I had to put it back down the ladder of priorities,” he admitted to Clines. “I was carrying the game home with me. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, and I knew that something had to change. So, I told myself that no matter what happened this year, that I might not play again next year. I know one thing, I’ll never go back to the PGA Qualifying School again.”
Holland followed his first round 65 with a second round 75 to make the weekend. His Saturday 69 and Sunday 73 resulted in a T23 finish and a $4,214 check. For the year, he missed 11 cuts in 14 events, winning $7,289. He was then off the Tour until 1989 when he played two events. He had a handful of starts from 1990 to 1995. His career earnings on the PGA TOUR were $146,471.
Tour Backspin Quiz
One player has won the Byron Nelson four times, and another three times. Can you name them? Extra credit for knowing the years they won.
Scroll down for answer.
Blind Shot
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MY OPEN TABS
Steve Madeley of The Athletic has the backstory on Aaron Rai’s childhood golf stomping grounds. (Gift Link)
YIKES! Nick Piastowski at Golf.com has the details on a dangerous mishit by Wyndham Clark.
THEY WROTE IT
Tour Backspin Quiz Answer
Tom Watson won the Byron Nelson four times (1975, 1978, 1979, and 1980). Ben Hogan won it three times (1945, 1957, and 1958).
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