Stewart Cink, Brian Gay pass 600-start milestone

Editor's note: Brian Gay withdrew on Tuesday

Golf is a game that loves to celebrate its young stars, but we shouldn't forget to honor those players who display impressive longevity. Just getting on the PGA TOUR is hard. Staying there is even harder.

This week at The RSM Classic, two players will be honored for their incredible consistency.

The RSM Classic will be Stewart Cink's 600th PGA TOUR start as a professional. He will be just the 68th player in PGA TOUR history to play at least 600 events.

This fall has been one for the veteran players. Cink, 47, won the season-opening Safeway Open. He is the oldest player to win a season-opening event since at least 1970. It was his seventh PGA TOUR win, which includes the 2009 Open Championship and 2004 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational. Cink’s first PGA TOUR victory came in 1997, the same year Collin Morikawa was born.

Brian Gay passed the 600-start mark at this year's Safeway Open. He won two starts later at the Bermuda Championship, becoming just the ninth player to win on TOUR after making his 600th start. It was Gay’s fifth PGA TOUR victory.

Cink and Gay are being honored for their accomplishments at this week’s The RSM Classic. Here’s a closer look at some of the impressive numbers from their careers.