THE BAND PLAYED ON

It’s a strange testament for a man who went to such lengths--plus-fours, to be exact--to uphold the traditions of golf.

If there is one theme that emerges from this emotional outpouring since Payne Stewart’s death in that plane crash Monday it is that the passing of the man who used to be known for his knickers made us change the way we think about the sport.

It made the bunkers less daunting, brought the PGA Tour’s collection of individuals a little closer and raised our level of appreciation to the point we can now realize the best shot of the opening round at the Tour Championship here Thursday was a tee shot that traveled only 16 feet.

In the new view, a private Learjet is not seen as the ultimate perk but instead as a vessel of tragedy.

A parking space reserved for a courtesy car changed from a symbol of the privileged lifestyle of PGA Tour players to a community place available to anyone who cared to pay their respects for Stewart in the form of flowers, cards or poems.

And if there was one person who stood out after the tournament’s first day of play it wasn’t leader Davis Love III, who shot seven under par.

It was a man wearing a kilt.

At 7:45 a.m., as the sun was still pulling itself above the horizon and the course was shrouded in fog, a bagpiper clad in traditional Scottish attire appeared through the mist. He made his way toward the first tee in slow, measured steps.

It was a simple, touching moment in a brief remembrance for Stewart. A larger memorial service will be held in Orlando, Fla., today. PGA officials added nine holes to Thursday’s schedule and will play 27 holes again Saturday to allow the golfers to take today off and attend.

There was some thought to canceling this tournament featuring the tour’s top 30 money winners. It would not have been the appropriate thing to do.

“This week, we play golf on the PGA Tour . . . in Payne’s name,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said during the ceremony. “And we play in testimony to Payne.”

Tom Lehman said he has thought about sitting out this week, before listening to Stewart’s voice.

“I could actually hear Payne saying, ‘Boys, you’ve gotta play,’ ” Lehman said.

To conclude his portion of the ceremony, Lehman read a passage from a book of funeral thoughts and prayers, a passage selected for its theme that God will not fail to provide comfort and peace and strength of spirit.

The piper played “Amazing Grace,” then retreated down the fairway. The fog was lifting. Birds began to chirp. The world, just as it always has, moved on. Everyone had to keep pace.

There were tee times to meet.

On the one hand, golf was a return to the routine. A safe place to escape the tragedy.

“When I’m off the course, I’m really thinking about it a lot more,” Duffy Waldorf said. “Driving in a car is the worst. I’m afraid I’m going to get in an accident this week.”

But then again, how could they play golf and not think about their compatriot who played it so well?

“You concentrate over your shot and then Payne comes back in your mind,” Fred Funk said.

They played in front of subdued galleries at the Champions Golf Club. The players were unusually mellow themselves.

“The crowd was polite,” Lehman said. “They were respectful. I think the players, there’s not a lot of highs out there. You’re just kind of going along, doing your best. If you make a bogey, you just kind of shake it off and it doesn’t really affect you.”

Players came up with their individual methods of honoring Stewart. Justin Leonard wore the initials PS on his cap. Waldorf wrote, “Payne’s Way. Class. Style.” on one of his balls. He marked another with “No worries. Always trust in Him.”

No one else went as far as Bob Estes.

For his opening shot he put the ball on the tee, then pulled out his putter and rolled the ball 16 feet--about the same distance as Stewart’s clutch putt to win the U.S. Open at Pinehurst this summer.

“That was for Payne,” Estes said.

He chose to re-create that putt because he had seen it replayed over and over again on television earlier in the week.

“I just wanted to do something a little different to make sure everyone remembered Payne and his family,” Estes elaborated after his round.

Estes’ act was more than just symbolic. It was sacrificial. In a tournament with an elite field, with a $5-million purse that includes $900,000 for the winner, Estes began the competition by giving away a stroke.

“It didn’t really matter,” Estes said. “As we’ve heard a lot about, Payne had become a much more dedicated Christian in the last year or two. The Lord and his family and friends were so much more important to him and he just had everything together, keeping everything better prioritized.

“In a sense, that’s what that gesture was about also. I wasn’t worried about losing a shot on the first hole, or what I shot. It was just a symbol that our jobs are not as important as our faith and our family and our friends.”

Estes got that advice from Stewart as they played and practiced together often in recent months. Stewart also passed on his philosophy to Phil Mickelson, the tough-luck loser on Stewart’s putt at the U.S. Open.

Mickelson’s wife was about to give birth, and Stewart took the time right there on the 18th green to remind Mickelson that nothing was as important as his impending fatherhood. It was hard to forget those words Thursday as Mickelson held his baby girl, Amanda.

At 42, Stewart had it figured out. Sadly, his death only served to illustrate his newly found approach to life.

It has everyone on the tour rethinking his priorities. For a group of people who fly every week, it was a reminder of the implicit hazards in their way of life. It was a reminder to hug the loved ones a little tighter, it was a reminder to pause a little longer to savor the good things.

In other words, to take the same approach to life that Stewart had recently discovered.

It was obvious to everyone who walked the course Thursday that Payne Stewart was the leader in the clubhouse.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com.