Stewart Cink walked away from the hometown Mitsubishi Electric Classic two weeks ago feeling pretty good about his game.
The former Georgia Tech star struck the ball well but couldn’t get enough putts to fall. He wound up tied for sixth in the tournament played at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth.
It turned out to be another signal that Cink was ready to win, which he did Sunday at the PGA Tour Champions Insperity Classic at The Woodlands in suburban Houston, one of the most prestigious nonmajors on the senior circuit.
Cink erased a two-shot deficit, moved into a tie for the lead with a birdie on the 17th hole and defeated World Golf Hall of Famer Retief Goosen on the first hole of a playoff to secure the win.
It was the second victory for the longtime Atlantan since he aged up into the senior division last spring.
“I’ve been playing fairly solid, and I just think it was all about trusting all the way through the finish line,” Cink said.
“Golf is just not easy, but I had a blast out there, fighting, falling back. Sometimes it feels like feast-or-famine, but it’s a great game and I love it.”
Cink emerged from a tightly bunched group on the leaderboard with a strong back nine Sunday. His birdie on the 15th hole lifted him in a tie for the lead at 10 under, and his birdie at the 17th separated him from the others and led to a playoff.
“I did yank my second shot just a little, trying to be maybe a little too aggressive, but it ended up in a pretty good place,” Cink said.
“It just had a look about it and I kind of rehearsed a little bit of fist pump there and went through it in my head. And when the ball got in the hole, I’m like, ‘I’m doing the fist pump.’ And I kind of let something out that you don’t see much out of Stewart Cink.”
The playoff ended quickly. Goosen hit his tee shot in the water, and Cink hit his approach to within 8 feet. He needed two putts for the win but calmly made the birdie and hugged caddie Chris Jones after retrieving the ball.
“Me and Chris had a good thing going,” Cink said. “I executed pretty well, for the most part, and when I didn’t, I fought hard. I was proud of the way I hung in there all the way through the 55th hole.”
Cink has made seven starts this season and has finished outside the top 10 only once. The win moved Cink up to No. 4 on the Charles Schwab Cup points standings.
The victory gives Cink some momentum going into the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Alabama — the first major on the senior circuit.
Cink, who was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, tied for third in the Regions Tradition in 2024.
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