The 2000 U.S. Open Golf Championship , held at the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links , saw a unique twist on the 21-gun salute . The tournament 's defending champion , Payne Stewart , had died in a plane crash the previous October . Before the tournament began , a ceremony was held in Stewart 's memory in which 21 golfers lined up on the 18th fairway and hit drives into the Pacific Ocean
died in a plane crash
1999 South Dakota Learjet crash
21-gun salute