Stewart Cink

{{short description|American professional golfer|bot=PearBOT 5}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2011}}

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Stewart Cink

| image = Stewart CInk 2017.png

| imagesize = 200px

| caption = Cink at the 2017 Valero Texas Open

| fullname = Stewart Ernest Cink

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|5|21|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=4}}

| weight = {{convert|205|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}

| nationality = {{USA}}

| residence = Duluth, Georgia, U.S.

| spouse = Lisa Cink

| partner =

| children = 2

| college = Georgia Tech

| yearpro = 1995

| tour = PGA Tour
PGA Tour Champions

| extour = European Tour
Nike Tour
Hooters Tour

| prowins = 18

| pgawins = 8

| eurowins = 2

| japwins =

| asiawins =

| sunwins =

| auswins =

| nwidewins = 3

| chalwins =

| champwins = 2

| seneurowins =

| otherwins = 5

| majorwins = 1

| masters = T3: 2008

| usopen = 3rd: 2001

| open = Won: 2009

| pga = T3: 1999

| wghofid =

| wghofyear =

| award1 = Haskins Award

| year1 = 1995

| award2 = Nike Tour
money list winner

| year2 = 1996

| award3 = Nike Tour
Player of the Year

| year3 = 1996

| award4 = PGA Tour
Rookie of the Year

| year4 = 1997

| award5 = Payne Stewart Award

| year5 = 2017

| awardssection =

}}

Stewart Ernest Cink (born May 21, 1973) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He won the 2009 Open Championship, defeating Tom Watson in a four-hole aggregate playoff. He spent over 40 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking from 2004 to 2009, reaching a career best ranking of 5th in 2008.{{cite web |url=http://dps.endavadigital.net/owgr/doc/content/2007%20Stats/86TO0810.pdf |title=69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking |publisher=Official World Golf Ranking |access-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017160152/http://dps.endavadigital.net/owgr/doc/content/2007 |url-status=dead }}{{cite book |title=European Tour Official Guide 09 |edition=38th |year=2009 |publisher=PGA European Tour |chapter=Players who have reached the Top Ten in the Official World Golf Ranking since 1986 |page=558}}

Early years and education

Cink was born in Huntsville, Alabama, and grew up in nearby Florence, where he attended Bradshaw High School. After completing high school in 1991, he graduated from Georgia Tech in Atlanta in 1995 with a degree in Management, where he played golf for the Yellow Jackets; he turned professional in 1995.

Professional career

After winning the Mexican Open and three events on the Nike Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour) in 1996, Cink joined the PGA Tour in 1997 and won the Canon Greater Hartford Open in his rookie season. Cink performed consistently on the Tour over the next few years, picking up another win at the 2000 MCI Classic.{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=MCI Heritage; Cink's 65 Wins It; Els and Love Falter |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2000-04-17 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/17/sports/plus-golf-mci-heritage-cink-s-65-wins-it-els-and-love-falter.html |access-date=2025-05-29 |page=D9}} Cink contended in the 2001 U.S. Open, missing the playoff by a single stroke after making a double-bogey on the 72nd hole. In 2004, Cink finished in fifth-place on the money list and had wins at the MCI Heritage and at the WGC-NEC Invitational, which is one of the World Golf Championships events.

On February 24, 2008, Cink was the runner-up in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship played in Marana, Arizona, falling 8 & 7 in the 36-hole final to top-ranked Tiger Woods. In June 2008, he reached his highest ever ranking, sixth, in the Official World Golf Rankings with his victory at the Travelers Championship in suburban Hartford.{{cite web |url=http://www.owgr.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=6612298&itype=&iCategoryID=0 |title=Week 25 – Stewart Cink Wins the Travelers Championship and Climbs to Career High World Number Six |publisher=Official World Golf Ranking |date=June 23, 2008 |access-date=October 29, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501205107/http://www.owgr.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=6612298&itype=&iCategoryID=0 |archive-date=May 1, 2009}}

On July 19, 2009, Cink won his first major title at the 138th Open Championship at Turnberry, Scotland, defeating 59-year-old, five-time champion Tom Watson by six strokes in a four-hole playoff. Cink had birdied the 72nd hole while Watson bogeyed, which forced the playoff.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/8158269.stm |title=Cink dashes Watson's Open dreams |date=July 19, 2009 |work=BBC Sport |first=Mark |last=Orlovac |access-date=July 19, 2009}}

On September 13, 2020, Cink won the Safeway Open for his first win since the 2009 Open Championship.{{cite news |title=47-year-old Stewart Cink rallies to win Safeway Open |url=https://apnews.com/0835393a483d4967926a0161d11cdc98 |work=Associated Press News |last=Wagaman |first=Michael |date=September 13, 2020 |access-date=September 14, 2020}}

On April 18, 2021, Cink won the RBC Heritage for the third time. He became the fourth player to win twice in the same PGA Tour season after turning 47, the others being Sam Snead, Julius Boros and Kenny Perry (who did it two times). Cink broke the lowest 36-hole score and 54-hole score record for the tournament.{{cite news |title=Cink-cess! 47-year-old Cink wins 3rd RBC Heritage title |url=https://apnews.com/article/stewart-cink-emiliano-grillo-harold-varner-iii-hilton-head-island-bryson-dechambeau-fb5487e441b86f630ae7103ffe6a13f2 |work=Associated Press News |last=Iacobelli |first=Pete |date=April 18, 2021 |access-date=April 18, 2021}}

Personal life

Cink and his wife, Lisa, have two sons, Connor and Reagan. Cink is a Christian.{{cite web|title=Putting First Things First|url=http://faithmagazine.net/putting-first-things-first/}}{{cite web|title=Golf helps men share faith|url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/masters/2014-04-08/golf-helps-men-share-faith}}

Professional wins (18)

=PGA Tour wins (8)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

! Legend

style="background:#e5d1cb;"

| Major championships (1)

style="background:#dfe2e9;"

| World Golf Championships (1)

Other PGA Tour (6)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Date!!Tournament!!Winning score!!Margin of
victory!!Runner(s)-up

align=center|1

|align=right|Jul 27, 1997

|Canon Greater Hartford Open

|−13 (69-67-65-66=267)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|USA}} Tom Byrum, {{flagicon|USA}} Brandel Chamblee,
{{flagicon|USA}} Jeff Maggert

align=center|2

|align=right|Apr 16, 2000

|MCI Classic

|−14 (71-68-66-65=270)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Tom Lehman

align=center|3

|align=right|Apr 18, 2004

|MCI Heritage (2)

|−10 (72-69-69-64=274)

|Playoff

|{{flagicon|USA}} Ted Purdy

style="background:#dfe2e9;"

|align=center|4

|align=right|Aug 22, 2004

|WGC-NEC Invitational

|−11 (63-68-68-70=269)

|4 strokes

|{{flagicon|ZAF}} Rory Sabbatini, {{flagicon|USA}} Tiger Woods

align=center|5

|align=right|Jun 22, 2008

|Travelers Championship (2)

|−18 (66-64-65-67=262)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|USA}} Tommy Armour III, {{flagicon|USA}} Hunter Mahan

style="background:#e5d1cb;"

|align=center|6

|align=right|Jul 19, 2009

|The Open Championship

|−2 (66-72-71-69=278)

|Playoff

|{{flagicon|USA}} Tom Watson

align=center|7

|align=right|Sep 13, 2020

|Safeway Open

|−21 (67-70-65-65=267)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} Harry Higgs

align=center|8

|align=right|Apr 18, 2021

|RBC Heritage (3)

|−19 (63-63-69-70=265)

|4 strokes

|{{flagicon|ARG}} Emiliano Grillo, {{flagicon|USA}} Harold Varner III

PGA Tour playoff record (2–2)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent(s)!!Result

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|1

|1998

|Canon Greater Hartford Open

|{{flagicon|USA}} Olin Browne, {{flagicon|USA}} Larry Mize

|Browne won with birdie on first extra hole

style="background:#D0F0C0;"

|align=center|2

|2004

|MCI Heritage

|{{flagicon|USA}} Ted Purdy

|Won with birdie on fifth extra hole

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|3

|2006

|WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

|{{flagicon|USA}} Tiger Woods

|Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole

style="background:#D0F0C0;"

|align=center|4

|2009

|The Open Championship

|{{flagicon|USA}} Tom Watson

|Won four-hole aggregate playoff;
Cink: −2 (4-3-4-3=14),
Watson: +4 (5-3-7-5=20)

=European Tour wins (2)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

! Legend

style="background:#e5d1cb;"

| Major championships (1)

style="background:#dfe2e9;"

| World Golf Championships (1)

Other European Tour (0)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Date!!Tournament!!Winning score!!Margin of
victory!!Runner(s)-up

style="background:#dfe2e9;"

|align=center|1

|align=right|Aug 22, 2004

|WGC-NEC Invitational

|−11 (63-68-68-70=269)

|4 strokes

|{{flagicon|ZAF}} Rory Sabbatini, {{flagicon|USA}} Tiger Woods

style="background:#e5d1cb;"

|align=center|2

|align=right|Jul 19, 2009

|The Open Championship

|−2 (66-72-71-69=278)

|Playoff

|{{flagicon|USA}} Tom Watson

European Tour playoff record (1–1)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent!!Result

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|1

|2006

|WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

|{{flagicon|USA}} Tiger Woods

|Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole

style="background:#D0F0C0;"

|align=center|2

|2009

|The Open Championship

|{{flagicon|USA}} Tom Watson

|Won four-hole aggregate playoff;
Cink: −2 (4-3-4-3=14),
Watson: +4 (5-3-7-5=20)

=Nike Tour wins (3)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

! Legend

style="background:thistle;"

| Tour Championships (1)

Other Nike Tour (2)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.

!Date

!Tournament

!Winning score

!Margin of
victory

!Runner(s)-up

align=center|1

|align=right|Jun 23, 1996

|Nike Ozarks Open

|−16 (68-67-69-68=272)

|Playoff

|{{flagicon|USA}} R. W. Eaks

align=center|2

|align=right|Sep 8, 1996

|Nike Colorado Classic

|−16 (67-68-67-66=268)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|USA}} David Berganio Jr., {{flagicon|USA}} Michael Christie

style="background:thistle;"

|align=center|3

|align=right|Oct 20, 1996

|Nike Tour Championship

|−7 (66-71-71-73=281)

|4 strokes

|{{flagicon|USA}} David Berganio Jr.

Nike Tour playoff record (1–1)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent(s)!!Result

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|1

|1996

|Nike San Jose Open

|{{flagicon|USA}} Bobby Elliott, {{flagicon|USA}} Larry Silveira

|Silveira won with birdie on first extra hole

style="background:#D0F0C0;"

|align=center|2

|1996

|Nike Ozarks Open

|{{flagicon|USA}} R. W. Eaks

|Won with birdie on third extra hole

=Hooters Tour wins (1)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.

!Date

!Tournament

!Winning score

!Margin of
victory

!Runners-up

align=center|1

|align=right|Oct 29, 1995

|Naturally Fresh Cup

|−13 (69-68-68-70=275)

|6 strokes

|{{flagicon|ZAF}} Deane Pappas, {{flagicon|USA}} Mike Swartz

=Latin American wins (2)=

=Other wins (2)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.

!Date

!Tournament

!Winning score

!Margin of
victory

!Runners-up

align=center|1

|align=right|Jun 19, 2007

|CVS Caremark Charity Classic
(with {{flagicon|USA}} J. J. Henry)

|−20 (60-62=122)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|USA}} Brad Faxon and {{flagicon|USA}} Zach Johnson

align=center|2

|align=right|Dec 15, 2013

|PNC Father-Son Challenge
(with son Connor Cink)

|−22 (61-61=122)

|3 strokes

|{{flagicon|AUS}} Steve Elkington and son Sam Elkington,
{{flagicon|FIJ}} Vijay Singh and son Qass Singh

Other playoff record (0–1)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponents!!Result

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|1

|2002

|CVS Charity Classic
(with {{flagicon|USA}} David Toms)

|{{flagicon|USA}} Chris DiMarco and {{flagicon|USA}} Dudley Hart

|Lost to birdie on third extra hole

=PGA Tour Champions wins (2)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.

!Date

!Tournament

!Winning score

!Margin of
victory

!Runner-up

align=center|1

|align=right|Aug 25, 2024

|The Ally Challenge

|−17 (67-66-66=199)

|4 strokes

|{{flagicon|KOR}} K. J. Choi

align=center|2

|align=right|May 4, 2025

|Insperity Invitational

|−11 (71-66-68=205)

|Playoff

|{{flagicon|ZAF}} Retief Goosen

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (1–0)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent!!Result

style="background:#D0F0C0;"

|align=center|1

|2025

|Insperity Invitational

|{{flagicon|ZAF}} Retief Goosen

|Won with birdie on first extra hole

Major championships

=Wins (1)=

class="wikitable"

!Year!!Championship!!54 holes!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runner-up

style="background:#ABCDEF;"

| 2009

The Open Championship3 shot deficit−2 (66-72-71-69=278)Playoff1{{flagicon|USA}} Tom Watson

1Defeated Watson in a four-hole aggregate playoff; Cink (4-3-4-3=14), Watson (5-3-7-5=20).

=Results timeline=

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1996

!1997

!1998

!1999

align=left|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|T23

|T27

align=left|U.S. Open

|T16

|T13

|style="background:yellow;"|T10

|T32

align=left|The Open Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T66

|CUT

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|CUT

|style="background:yellow;"|T3

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!2000

!2001

!2002

!2003

!2004

!2005

!2006

!2007

!2008

!2009

align=left|Masters Tournament

|T28

|CUT

|T24

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T17

|T20

|style="background:yellow;"|10

|T17

|style="background:yellow;"|T3

|CUT

align=left|U.S. Open

|style="background:yellow;"|T8

|style="background:yellow;"|3

|CUT

|T28

|CUT

|T15

|T37

|CUT

|T14

|T27

align=left|The Open Championship

|T41

|T30

|T59

|T34

|T14

|CUT

|CUT

|style="background:yellow;"|T6

|CUT

|style="background:lime;"|1

align=left|PGA Championship

|T15

|T59

|style="background:yellow;"|T10

|CUT

|T17

|T28

|T24

|T32

|CUT

|T67

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament !! 2010 !! 2011 !! 2012 !! 2013 !! 2014 !! 2015 !! 2016 !! 2017 !! 2018

align=left|Masters Tournament

|CUT

|CUT

|T50

|T25

|T14

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|U.S. Open

|T40

|CUT

|CUT

|CUT

|T54

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T46

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|The Open Championship

|T48

|T30

|CUT

|T26

|T47

|T20

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|T24

align=left|PGA Championship

|T18

|CUT

|CUT

|CUT

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:yellow;"|T4

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!2019!!2020!!2021!!2022!!2023!!2024

align=left|Masters Tournament

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T12

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T30

|T23

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|U.S. Open

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T57

|CUT

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|The Open Championship

|T20

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT

|CUT

|CUT

|T23

|CUT

{{legend|lime|Win}}

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

CUT = missed the half-way cut

"T" = tied

NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

=Summary=

class=wikitable style=text-align:center

!Tournament !! Wins !! 2nd !! 3rd !! Top-5 !! Top-10 !! Top-25 !! Events !! Cuts made

align=left|Masters Tournament00112102013
align=left|PGA Championship0012372113
align=left|U.S. Open0011372315
align=left|The Open Championship1001272516
Totals103510318957

  • Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1999 Masters – 2000 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (ten times)

Results in The Players Championship

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1998

!1999

!2000

!2001

!2002

!2003

!2004

!2005

!2006

!2007

!2008

!2009

align=left|The Players Championship

|T42

|CUT

|T33

|CUT

|CUT

|T39

|T22

|T32

|CUT

|style="background:yellow;"|T3

|T21

|T76

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!2010

!2011

!2012

!2013

!2014

!2015

!2016

!2017

!2018

!2019

align=left|The Players Championship

|CUT

|T19

|T64

|CUT

|T38

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|CUT

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!2020!!2021!!2022!!2023

align=left|The Players Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|C

|CUT

|CUT

|CUT

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

C = Canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic

World Golf Championships

=Wins (1)=

class="wikitable"

!Year!!Championship!!54 holes!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runners-up

style="background:#FFFFCC;"

|2004

|WGC-NEC Invitational

|5 shot lead

|−11 (63-68-68-70=269)

|4 strokes

|{{flagicon|ZAF}} Rory Sabbatini, {{flagicon|USA}} Tiger Woods

=Results timeline=

Results not in chronological order before 2015.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

!Tournament!!1999!!2000!!2001!!2002!!2003!!2004!!2005!!2006!!2007!!2008!!2009!!2010!!2011!!2012!!2013!!2014!!2015!!2016!!2017!!2018!!2019

align="left"|Championship

|style="background:yellow;"|T4

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|NT1

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T23

|T46

|T13

|T45

|T20

|T59

|T37

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align="left"|Match Play

|style="background:yellow;"|R16

|R64

|R64

|R64

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|R32

|style="background:yellow;"|QF

|R64

|style="background:yellow;"|R16

|style="background:yellow;"|2

|style="background:yellow;"|3

|style="background:yellow;"|QF

|R32

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align="left"|Invitational

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:yellow;"|7

|T13

|T47

|T61

|style="background:#00ff00;"|1

|T41

|style="background:yellow;"|2

|T56

|T43

|style="background:yellow;"|T6

|T19

|T45

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align="left"|Champions

|colspan=10 style="background:#D3D3D3;"|

|T51

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

!Tournament!!2020!!2021

align="left"|Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align="left"|Match Play

|NT2

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align="left"|Invitational

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T43

align="left"|Champions

|NT2

|NT2

1Canceled due to 9/11

2Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

{{legend|lime|Win}}

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play

"T" = tied

NT = No Tournament

Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

See also

References

{{Reflist}}