Cink's routine change pays off in adopted hometown
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
ATLANTA -- Stewart Cink spent most of last week watching the torrential rains beat down on his house in Duluth, Ga.
The weather was so severe Cink wasn't able to practice for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. In retrospect, though, that may have been a blessing in disguise.
In the past, Cink would come to the finale of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup juggling two roles. He'd take care of business and play golf against the game's elite at East Lake but was a husband, father of two and neighbor when he finished that 30-mile drive hole to Duluth, Ga., each night.
The lack of preparation for this year's tournament forced Cink to change his mindset, though. He felt he had to be a little "selfish" and focus on his golf first, and the result Thursday was a first-round 67 that left him one stroke off the lead held by Sean O'Hair.
"I think in the past I've tried to combine the rest of my life that goes on when I'm having an off week here with having a tournament, and it's just been a little bit too much," Cink acknowledged.
"I came into this week with a little bit different attitude, and it was something that was forced by the weather. ... I just wanted to come and play a golf tournament this week and sort of forget about everything going on at home.
"At my kids' ages now, they're on auto pilot for the most part anyway now. I don't have to be there to change diapers or anything like that, that's for sure."
The round of 3 under equaled Cink's best start at THE TOUR Championship and marked just the eighth time he had broken par in 21 competitive rounds at East Lake, a course where he has been an honorary member for over 12 years. His best finish in five previous tournaments on Bobby Jones' home track has been a tie for 11th.
"It was a pretty good start," Cink said. "I was pleased with the score, I guess. I played well, especially the front nine, and then the back nine just slowed down a little bit. I didn't have that many good looks at it.
"But under par, I mean, the golf course, considering all that rain we had, it's really dried out, and the greens are like bricks. You have to be very smart coming into the greens here to give yourself any kind of aggressive birdies."
Cink set the early pace with a bogey-free 31 on the front nine. But even though he made a 12-footer on the second hole and a 3-footer on No. 3, Cink was still a little unnerved after hitting a woman above the eye with his opening drive.
"I was about 50 yards short of her when I realized someone got hit," Cink said. "She was over there holding her face. I went to her and made sure she was lucid and OK, and she was.
| To win the FedExCup | |
|
"Then I said it really doesn't look that bad, even though it looked terrible. ... I was teasing but she was fine."
Nonetheless, Cink said he was a "little shaky" for the first five or six holes. But he found his groove with a 15-footer at No. 7 and added a 20-footer two holes later to make the turn in 4 under.
A "brain cramp" of a three-putt from 25 feet at the 13th hole was followed by a brilliant wedge at No. 15 to 12 inches for birdie. Cink couldn't stand prosperity, though, missing the green at the 16th from the middle of the fairway and failing to get up and down.
"All in all, a good round, but the bogeys were both from very good positions in the fairway, and if you're going to win a tournament, you can't be doing that," Cink said. "I'll have to correct that."
Winning in his adopted hometown would be big for the former Georgia Tech All-American. He estimates he probably played East Lake 30 times while he was in college and has come down several times a year since he graduated in 1995.
Cink, who won the 138th Open Championship in July, entered THE TOUR Championship ranked 26th in the FedExCup standings. His chances of winning the silver Tiffany and Co. trophy and $10 million bonus are admittedly remote, but he's focused on what would be an extremely popular hometown victory.
"All I know is it's a long list of things that need to happen for me to win the FedExCup," Cink said. "But the No. 1 thing is Stewart Cink needs to win the TOUR Championship presented by Coca Cola. That needs to happen first. If that happens, then we'll look and see if all the dominoes line up.
"I won't be shunning the scoreboards, but I'm not checking them to see where I finish. I want to win here, and I want to play the golf course the best I can this week and see what happens. I'm not concerned at 26 if I'm going to win the FedExCup. I just want to have a great finish right here."
Shop your favorite brand name golf equipment and accessories at SHOP.PGATOUR.COM
FAN ZONE
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network