Aaron Stewart, son of the late Payne Stewart, is playing in the North and South Amateur tournament this week at Pinehurst. This will be the 20-year-old’s first tournament at the famous course. Aaron, who is a sophomore at SMU, is making a rare trip to the course in south-central North Carolina. This is the same course where his father’s second U.S. Open title came four months before his untimely death in an airplane accident.

Aaron, who was 10 at the time of his father’s win, didn’t develop a strong interest in golf until he entered high school. The similarities between father and son are evident, as Mike Hicks, Aaron’s caddie, stated. “The mannerisms and the way he conducts himself; there’s a few things that remind me a lot of his dad.” Mike Hicks, also carried the clubs for Payne Stewart during his victory in the 1999 Open. In addition to having the same caddie, Aaron brought his father’s yardage book along from the 1999 tournament.

Aaron also stated that he would not rule out mimicking the fist pumping pose his father struck after his 15-foot putt sealed the 1999 Open victory, the same pose that is immortalized in the statue by the 18th green.

For more information on the North and South Amateur tournament, visit Pinehurst.com.