Golf: Payne In Moroccan Hearts
Morocco-USA, People, 10/28/1999

Payne Stewart was no household item in Morocco, but the golfing audience as well as your average Moroccan would definitely know and remember the smile and zest of the man they saw as the most eccentric, yet irresistibly charming, golf ace to have ever trodden the incredibly green grass of what had become his "home."

The man who was bound to win them all was heading for Houston for more practice before the Tour Championships, but fate decided otherwise when his learjet crashed Monday in South Dakota. The news baffled Moroccans who knew the man.

Payne never hid his love for the country and the people he saw as the most friendly and hospitable he ever knew. And people loved his look, his gait, his humor and the way he shared their joy after the games. He would hug friends so close, shake hands so warm and smile his jaws sore. And never show a sign of annoyance at people cheering him on the greens.

Payne never hesitated to sample some of the most refined, but queer-looking to Western eyes, Moroccan dishes and varied cuisine. Nor did he ever shun or avoid the exuberance of joy-crazy fans. He donned Moroccan folklore gowns and played with typically Moroccan music instruments with folk bands, making the day of photographers.

Now that the smile is gone, and when the noise of and about the crash subsides, after the pain, Payne will stay alive in Moroccan memory, and not only because he had won the Hassan II Trophy twice. The man had won Moroccan hearts forever.

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