Quick Facts
Biography
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 59 year-old 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.
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. Until his victory in the Open Championship in 2009, 2004 was his most successful season, with a fifth-place finish on the money list and 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.
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.
Cink struggled on the PGA Tour since winning the 2009 Open Championship. He played the 2016–17 season using a career money list exemption.
Each fall, Cink co-hosts the East Lake Invitational with Billy Andrade at East Lake Golf Club which benefits the East Lake Foundation.
On September 13, 2020, Cink won the Safeway Open for his first win since the 2009 Open Championship.
Personal life
Cink and his wife, Lisa, have two sons, Connor and Reagan. Cink is a Christian.
Professional wins (14)
PGA Tour wins (7)
| Legend |
| Major championships (1) |
| World Golf Championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (5) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 27, 1997 | Canon Greater Hartford Open | −13 (69-67-65-66=267) | 1 stroke | Tom Byrum, Brandel Chamblee, Jeff Maggert |
| 2 | Apr 16, 2000 | MCI Classic | −14 (71-68-66-65=270) | 2 strokes | Tom Lehman |
| 3 | Apr 18, 2004 | MCI Heritage | −10 (72-69-69-64=274) | Playoff | Ted Purdy |
| 4 | Aug 22, 2004 | WGC-NEC Invitational | −11 (63-68-68-70=269) | 4 strokes | Rory Sabbatini, Tiger Woods |
| 5 | Jun 22, 2008 | Travelers Championship | −18 (66-64-65-67=262) | 1 stroke | Tommy Armour III, Hunter Mahan |
| 6 | Jul 19, 2009 | The Open Championship | −2 (66-72-71-69=278) | Playoff | Tom Watson |
| 7 | Sep 13, 2020 | Safeway Open | −21 (67-70-65-65=267) | 2 strokes | Harry Higgs |
PGA Tour playoff record (2–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1998 | Canon Greater Hartford Open | Olin Browne, Larry Mize | Browne won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2004 | MCI Heritage | Ted Purdy | Won with birdie on fifth extra hole |
| 3 | 2006 | WGC-Bridgestone Invitational | Tiger Woods | Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole |
| 4 | 2009 | The Open Championship | 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)
| Legend |
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other Nike Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 23, 1996 | Nike Ozarks Open | −16 (68-67-69-68=272) | Playoff | R. W. Eaks |
| 2 | Sep 8, 1996 | Nike Colorado Classic | −16 (67-68-67-66=268) | 1 stroke | David Berganio Jr., Michael Christie |
| 3 | Oct 20, 1996 | Nike Tour Championship | −7 (66-71-71-73=281) | 4 strokes | David Berganio Jr. |
Nike Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1996 | Nike San Jose Open | Bobby Elliott, Larry Silveira | Silveira won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1996 | Nike Ozarks Open | R. W. Eaks | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
Latin American wins (2)
- 1996 Mexican Open
- 1999 Mexican Open
Other wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 19, 2007 | CVS Caremark Charity Classic (with J. J. Henry) | −20 (60-62=122) | 1 stroke | Brad Faxon and Zach Johnson |
| 2 | Dec 15, 2013 | PNC Father-Son Challenge (with son Connor Cink) | −22 (61-61=122) | 3 strokes | Steve Elkington and son Sam Elkington, Vijay Singh and son Qass Singh |
Other playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2002 | CVS Charity Classic (with David Toms) | Chris DiMarco and Dudley Hart | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Open Championship | 3 shot deficit | −2 (66-72-71-69=278) | Playoff | Tom Watson |
Defeated Watson in a four-hole aggregate playoff; Cink (4-3-4-3=14), Watson (5-3-7-5=20).
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T23 | T27 | |
| U.S. Open | T16 | T13 | T10 | T32 |
| The Open Championship | T66 | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T3 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T28 | CUT | T24 | T17 | T20 | 10 | T17 | T3 | CUT | |
| U.S. Open | T8 | 3 | CUT | T28 | CUT | T15 | T37 | CUT | T14 | T27 |
| The Open Championship | T41 | T30 | T59 | T34 | T14 | CUT | CUT | T6 | CUT | 1 |
| PGA Championship | T15 | T59 | T10 | CUT | T17 | T28 | T24 | T32 | CUT | T67 |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | T50 | T25 | T14 | ||||
| U.S. Open | T40 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T54 | T46 | |||
| The Open Championship | T48 | T30 | CUT | T26 | T47 | T20 | CUT | T24 | |
| PGA Championship | T18 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T4 |
| Tournament | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT |
| PGA Championship | |
| U.S. Open | |
| The Open Championship | T20 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 12 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 11 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 14 |
| The Open Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 21 | 15 |
| Totals | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 28 | 78 | 52 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1999 Masters – 2000 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (ten times)
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T42 | CUT | T33 | CUT | CUT | T39 | T22 | T32 | CUT | T3 | T21 | T76 | CUT | T19 | T64 | CUT | T38 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
World Golf Championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | WGC-NEC Invitational | 5 shot lead | −11 (63-68-68-70=269) | 4 strokes | Rory Sabbatini, Tiger Woods |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match Play | R16 | R64 | R64 | R64 | R32 | QF | R64 | R16 | 2 | 3 | QF | R32 | |
| Championship | T4 | NT | T23 | T46 | T13 | T45 | T20 | T59 | T37 | ||||
| Invitational | 7 | T13 | T47 | T61 | 1 | T41 | 2 | T56 | T43 | T6 | T19 | T45 | |
| Champions | T51 | ||||||||||||
Cancelled due to 9/11
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
- Presidents Cup: 2000 (winners), 2005 (winners), 2007 (winners), 2009 (winners)
- Ryder Cup: 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 (winners), 2010
- WGC-World Cup: 2005, 2006
- Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing PGA Tour): 2006 (winners), 2008, 2009
