Payne Stewart

Peak: 1999 — Payne Stewart rates 91 overall in the legends pool, a Sunday Assassin build with putting the clear peak at A+.

• Power A- — a step below the pool average in the legends pool; 18 of the other 25 players in the pool rate higher. How far the ball goes off the tee — long hitters shorten every hole.
• Accuracy A — a clear strength in the legends pool; only 4 players in the pool rate higher. How often the ball finds the fairway and stays out of trouble.
• Iron Play sits at A for Stewart, a step below the pool average across the legends pool: 17 of the other 25 players in the pool rate higher. Precision from the fairway into the green — the single biggest driver of low scores.
• Short Game A — on the stronger side of average in the legends pool; 9 of the other 25 players in the pool rate higher. Scrambling around the green — chips, pitches, and bunker shots that save par.
• At A+, Stewart's putting rating is elite (92nd percentile of the legends pool) — only 2 players in the pool rate higher. Holing putts, especially the ones inside ten feet that turn pars into birdies.
• At A, Stewart's course iq rating is a shade above the pool average (52nd percentile of the legends pool) — 12 of the other 25 players in the pool rate higher. Course management and shot selection — playing the smart shot, not just the bold one.
• Nerve A+ — on the stronger side of average in the legends pool; 11 of the other 25 players in the pool rate higher. Composure in contention — how a golfer performs with the tournament on the line.
• Consistency sits at A- for Stewart, well below the pool average across the legends pool: 19 of the other 25 players in the pool rate higher. How tightly a golfer's scores cluster around their average, round after round.
• Engine B+ — well below the pool average in the legends pool; nearly the whole pool rates higher. Stamina and durability across a long season — fewer withdrawals, less late-year fade.

Sunday Assassin. A Sunday assassin — putting and nerve both rate elite, exactly the combination that turns a Saturday afternoon lead into a Sunday evening trophy.

The closest attribute profiles in the legends pool belong to Bobby Jones (88% similar), Brooks Koepka (88% similar) and Ernie Els (88% similar) — three builds that would feel familiar to play.

• Bobby Jones,
• Brooks Koepka,
• Ernie Els

Of the 24 events on the schedule, U.S. Open, The Open Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship suit this build's attribute mix the best, based on how each course's demands line up with the card's strengths.

• U.S. Open — Major
• The Open Championship — Major
• THE PLAYERS Championship — Flagship

Legends aren't priced for Salary Cap — Payne Stewart unlocks wholesale, gold-accented, alongside the rest of the Peak: 1999 pool inside Legends mode, where every build gets the same nine zones and no budget to manage.

1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst (15-footer on 18 to beat Mickelson), 3 majors, 11 Tour wins; died Oct 1999 at 42. Syrupy tempo, elite iron flight and holed the putts that mattered; plus-fours and tam-o'-shanter. Ratings on this card are editorial judgment, not official statistics — see the methodology page for how they are derived.

Every rating on this page is a 1–11 editorial judgment, not a live statistic — see how ratings and the season simulation work.