August 7, 2003 For more information: Frank R. Scatoni 619-807-1887 frank@ventureliterary.com "No Kill Date" Venture Literary Sells ’99 U.S. Open Narrative to Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press On August 7, 2003, Frank R. Scatoni of Venture Literary, representing Bill Chastain, sold the World rights to Payne at Pinehurst: The Greatest U.S. Open Ever to Pete Wolverton at Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press. Life and death. Those were the themes when Payne Stewart and Phil Mickelson were paired with one another for the final round of the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2—a tournament that is widely regarded among golf fans as the greatest U.S. Open ever. In Payne at Pinehurst, veteran sports journalist Bill Chastain crafts the dramatic story of the 1999 U.S. Open by combining extensive research with the many interviews of those who made this a unique and compelling event. The late Payne Stewart, who won the tournament, is the central figure of this narrative. Stewart’s conquest of Pinehurst No. 2, while fending off Mickelson, Tiger Woods, David Duval, and Vijay Singh in an epic battle where every swing held significance, is the stuff of which golf legends are made. The win proved to be the pinnacle of Stewart’s career and became the highlight of a life that ended in tragedy. Four months after this dramatic victory, Stewart was killed in a bizarre plane crash. With five years having passed since Stewart’s untimely death, Payne at Pinehurst will explore the ’99 Open from a fresh and unique perspective, while it will also chronicle the legacy that Payne Stewart left behind. Moreover, the 2005 U.S. Open will be played at Pinehurst No. 2, bringing back all the joyful and tearful memories of the greatest U.S. Open of all time. A former columnist for the Tampa Tribune and a former reporter for the St. Petersburg Times, Bill Chastain is the author of The Steve Spurrier Story: From Heisman to Head Ball Coach, a biography of the head coach of the Washington Redskins. He is also the author of The Streak, a novel about baseball. To learn more about Venture Literary, visit: www.ventureliterary.com. To learn more about Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press, visit: http://www.stmartins.com/