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By Stewart Cink
Special to PGATOUR.com

Editor's note: Stewart Cink is a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR who will play on his third Presidents Cup team next month at Royal Montreal. He is also a member of the PGA TOUR Policy Board and as such, he was involved in the development of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Cink will be writing a column for PGATOUR.com each week during the Playoffs, and this is his first installment.

HARRISON, N.Y. -- I'm glad to be here and finally get the Playoffs under way. It's almost like I'm approaching a four-week tournament instead of a four-day tournament. I'm trying to get ready for what I know is going to be a long stretch. There's a lot of potential to move up or down based on how you play, so you obviously don't want to take a chance on moving in the wrong direction.

Everyone wants to do well in the inaugural edition of the Playoffs, says Stewart Cink. (Mike Ehrmann/WireImage)

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

CINK THRU 18 HOLES

Category Total Rank Eagles 0 N/A Birdies 2 T102 Pars 13 T21 Bogeys 3 T42 Double Bogeys 0 N/A Other 0 N/A Driving Accuracy 64.3% T109 Driving Distance 285.0 yds. 10 Greens in Regulation 72.2% T27 Putts per Round 33.0% T127 Putts per GIR 2.077 T125 Sand Saves 100.0% T1

• Stewart Cink's Player Page

I practiced last week but it was so hot at home in Atlanta that I figured it would be better to go and play in the mornings and get done and not be out too much in the hottest part of the day. That heat just saps you -- especially after Tulsa and the PGA. To do that two weeks in a row would just not be smart. I'm planning on curtailing my practice rounds a little bit during the next four weeks for the same reason. I want to try to stay fresh. Four weeks in a row is one thing, but when you've got four big weeks -- four very important weeks -- plus, the Presidents Cup seven days later, well, mentally you start to fatigue a little bit. It doesn't take a lot of wandering with your focus to drop back a notch or two.

You know, it's kind of funny. I think some of the players on TOUR are acting like the Playoffs are not a big deal, but I think on the inside, everybody really wants to do well. Everybody senses that there's a serious opportunity here, especially where I am. I'm in 28th place, and if I play really great for a couple of these tournaments, I could move up significantly. I consider where I am to have the most potential because while I've got a lot of guys to pass in front of me, it's not going to take me a whole lot to get to where the money really starts to jump up. So I think guys are intense about it, but right now, everybody's kind of, you know, laughing it off a little bit; "the Playoffs, it's the Playoffs." We'll see how they feel a few weeks from now when the pressure really mounts.

I'm pleased with how things have developed. One goal that we had with the Playoffs was to generate a little bit more media focus and public awareness of the TOUR, especially towards the end of the season. We wanted to have a climactic finish, instead of have the PGA and then a whole bunch of fall tournaments and THE TOUR Championship. In that regard, the Playoffs are a total success already. I pick up USA Today and I see a two page special section on golf, which is almost unprecedented. Sports Illustrated put together a big edition devoted to the Playoffs. A lot of people are talking about it, and most of the comments are good. Obviously, we miss having Tiger here, but overall I think it's favorable and we've accomplished a lot of the goals so far. It undoubtedly will be looked at after the dust settles and tweaked a little bit and improved, but overall, I think the Playoffs have been very successful and well received.

I'm striking the ball really well right now. I'm just not making a lot of putts. I'm shooting a lot of rounds like I did today, making a couple of birdies, and two birdies, you know, is just not a very good round. Just a very ugly, blah round. I hit a lot of good shots today but I had nothing to show for it. So I guess the key for me is just to be patient and just keep on going because I'm doing a lot of good things. Eventually, when you do play well and your short game is in good shape, it will add up to a good round or two. Maybe if I can get 5 or 6 under in one round, I can get a spark and that will get me going in the right direction.

I'm not really in danger of getting kicked out of the Playoffs yet. But you certainly want to position yourself to not have to worry about elimination at all. I would love to jump up to the top 15 after this week. I don't know what I would need to get there but probably a top 10 finish would move me up a little bit. That would ease my mind a little more. And going forward, that's what it's all about, because a peaceful mind enables to you really perform at your best. If you're worried about what might happen if you play bad, then you're probably going to play bad and you're going to find out. I don't want that to happen to me.