Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson setting tone of 2026 PGA TOUR Champions season
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Stewart Cink makes birdie on No. 17 at Portugal Invitational
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With eight events remaining before the start of the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, the race for PGA TOUR Champions’ top prize is heating up and two players have emerged as the main contenders.
Stewart Cink and rookie Zach Johnson have combined to win eight of the first 17 events of the 2026 season on PGA TOUR Champions, including three of the five majors. No other player has more than one win this year.
Cink, Johnson and World Golf Hall of Fame member Padraig Harrington claimed the top three spots on the leaderboard at last week’s Portugal Invitational and also represent the top three spots in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
Cink, who finished runner-up to Johnson in Portugal, alluded to this following his final round on Sunday, saying, “I think today it came down to Harrington and me and Zach really. If you look in a crystal ball, you'll probably see a lot of that coming.”
Zach Johnson makes birdie on No. 18 at Kaulig Companies Championship
Race for the Charles Schwab Cup
Cink has led the Charles Schwab Cup standings for all 17 weeks of the 2026 season after closing 2025 by winning the Cup. In the 25-season history of the Charles Schwab Cup, dating back to its inception in 2001, no player has led the standings every week of the season.
2026 Charles Schwab Cup standings (through Portugal Invitational)
| Rank | Player | Money | Wins |
| 1 | Stewart Cink | $3,120,808 | 4 |
| 2 | Zach Johnson | $2,416,780 | 4 |
| 3 | Padraig Harrington | $1,696,684 | 1 |
| 4 | Boo Weekley | $1,212,150 | 1 |
| 5 | Retief Goosen | $1,165,277 | 1 |
Cink surpasses $3 million for 2026
With Sunday’s runner-up result, Cink surpassed $3 million in 2026 earnings on PGA TOUR Champions, becoming the 13th player to reach that mark in a single season.
No player in PGA TOUR Champions history has touched $4 million by year's end.
Most single-season money earned (PGA TOUR Champions history)
| Rank | Player | Season | Money |
| 1 | Steve Stricker | 2023 | $3,986,063 |
| 2 | Bernhard Langer | 2017 | $3,677,359 |
| 3 | Steven Alker | 2022 | $3,544,425 |
| 4 | Padraig Harrington | 2022 | $3,293,255 |
| 5 | Bernhard Langer | 2020-21 | $3,255,499 |
| 6 | Stewart Cink | 2025 | $3,247,147 |
| 7 | Miguel Angel Jiménez | 2025 | $3,171,998 |
| 8 | Steven Alker | 2025 | $3,169,266 |
| 9 | Jim Furyk | 2020-21 | $3,141,663 |
| 10 | Stewart Cink | 2026 | $3,120,808 |
| 11 | Bernhard Langer | 2014 | $3,074,189 |
| 12 | Hale Irwin | 2002 | $3,028,304 |
| 13 | Bernhard Langer | 2016 | $3,016,959 |
Tale of the tape: Cink vs. Johnson
The comparison between Cink and Johnson’s results, including scoring average in individual stroke-play events, is nearly identical.
Johnson turned 50 years old on Feb. 24 and made his first start on PGA TOUR Champions at the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational (March 6-8), where he became the 22nd player in history to win in his debut. He has finished in the top eight in every one of his 11 starts.
2026 season overview
| Player | Starts | Wins | Majors | Top 3s | Top 10s | Scoring Avg. |
| Stewart Cink | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 67.50 |
| Zach Johnson | 11 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 67.57 |
After Cink raced out to a commanding lead in the Charles Schwab Cup standings during the opening stretch of the season, Johnson has chipped away by winning three of his last four starts.
First 11 events
| Player | Starts | Wins | Scoring Avg. | Money |
| Stewart Cink | 9 | 4 | 67.09 | $2,168,600 |
| Zach Johnson | 7 | 1 | 68.13 | $1,076,515 |
Last six events
| Player | Starts | Wins | Scoring Avg. | Money |
| Stewart Cink | 4 | 0 | 68.13 | $952,208 |
| Zach Johnson | 4 | 3 | 66.93 | $1,340,265 |
Head-to-head results
Cink and Johnson have played in the same event nine times, excluding the American Family Insurance Championship, which is a two-man team event. Coincidentally, they paired up together at that event and finished T5.
Team Cink/Johnson makes birdie on No. 16 at American Family Insurance Championship
In those nine events, Johnson holds a 6-2-1 advantage.
2026 PGA TOUR Champions events featuring Cink and Johnson (individual only)
| Tournament | Stewart Cink | Zach Johnson |
| James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational | T2 | Won |
| Cologuard Classic | T6 | T3 |
| Hoag Classic | Won | T2 |
| Senior PGA Championship | Won | T8 |
| Mitsubishi Electric Classic | 4th | 3rd |
| Insperity Invitational | T5 | T5 |
| Kaulig Companies Championship | 4th | Won |
| ISPS HANDA Senior Open | T11 | T7 |
| Portugal Invitational | 2nd | Won |
