A Conversation with Stewart Cink

Originally published April 2003, 'PARD - Points North Magazine

Stewart Cink, a three-time All-American at Georgia Tech, lives in Duluth with his wife Lisa, and two children (Connor and Reagan). Cink, who will turn 30 in May, is trying to regain the form that enabled him to win two PGA Tour events (Greater Hartford in 1997 and the Heritage in 2000) and a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team last fall. Cink has one top-10 finish this season and has missed the cut in three events. PARD spoke with him following his first round at the Honda Classic in March. He finished tied for 24th with rounds of 67, 68, 69 and 67.

PARD: You played in the past six Masters but currently, you are not invited to play. Is qualifying for The Masters a goal? And, if you do qualify, how would that make you feel to accomplish it?

Cink: It is definitely a goal, and that's one reason I am playing at the Honda Classic this week so I can have a shot at getting in The Masters. But, I am not looking at it so closely that I am totally engulfed with numbers like World Rankings, where I finish in certain tournaments and what it is going to do for me. I am just trying to play my best and if I get in, that's great and it's a goal satisfied. But, if I don't get in, I am not going to quit playing and not going to beat myself up too bad over it.

PARD: Does it bother you when people say that professional golfers should make a stand and boycott this tournament because of Augusta's all-male membership policies?

Cink: It doesn't bother me, but I disregard it. I do not think it is a professional golfers' responsibility to take a political stance publicly. It's a choice. If you want to, that's great. I don't disagree with someone doing it, but I don't think it is necessary. I don't think someone should expect me to make a stand either way. Now, I have an opinion just like every other American probably has, and I know everybody's opinion is that they are tired of hearing about it. What does bother me a little bit is when they expect Tiger [Woods] to take a stand because he is the leader of our sport. He's the one that gets all of the attention, he is the best player probably in history, and they expect him to come out on their side. [They question] why would Tiger go to play in South Carolina? Why would Tiger go play at The Masters this year? Well, he is playing golf -- he's not teeing it up on the first tee at Augusta this year to tell everyone that he agrees with the club's policies. That's not the point -- he is playing in The Masters.

PARD: Do you want to go on record with your opinion?

Cink: Oh, I'll go on record. I think Augusta should invite a female member. I think it is silly that they do not have one and I have said that before. But, I also respect their right to have their membership however they want it because they are a private club. I disagree with their policy but I do not think they should be forced to change.

PARD: Do you feel the changes at Augusta National eliminate a certain number of players from having a chance to win The Masters?

Cink: It definitely eliminates some shorter players, there is no question about that. It has always been a little tighter than people think. They think you can hit [the ball] anywhere -- that's not true and never was true. That [opinion] is coming from someone who has never played The Masters. Off the tee you have to drive it well, and you have to hit really good iron shots because you are hitting longer clubs into the same greens ... more than likely the big hitters will dominate.

PARD: Last fall you played in the Ryder Cup. Can you tell me what that victory was like for you when you and Jim Furyk beat Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley?

Cink: The thing about the Ryder Cup when you first play in it, you just wonder, 'Am I really going to be able to do this?' You never know until you get there. Paul Azinger, one of my best friends out here and a guy I respect a lot, told me after we came back that he estimates that two-thirds of the players on Tour are scared to play in it. They would rather just not qualify than to have to examine themselves in that way. That is a pretty strong statement. I don't know if it is two-thirds, but I guarantee you there are a lot of players who wouldn't want to put themselves through the test. To win that first match was a relief. It was exhilarating and it felt awesome. And, then I lost the next two.

PARD: The Europeans play more match play, maybe they are just more used to it than we are?

Cink: They probably do play more match play growing up because that is the way the R&A [Royal & Ancient], the French and the other European golf organizations play their junior tournaments. Once they get to be pros, they do not play any matches. I do not know why you can explain just how good they played, because on paper our teams are always stronger than theirs. Then, when they get into the Ryder Cup they just seem to gel and they always putt so dang good. They putted the eyes out of it. They made everything. Every time you looked up they were making a 30-footer. They really peak for that and it is something they should be proud of. They did great in the Ryder Cup.

PARD: Was there any hangover for you, as far as the 2001 U.S. Open at Southern Hills? Has it affected you mentally?

Cink: Yes, I think it did. I have really learned a lot about myself over the last six months to a year. I really figured a few things out. I should be playing a lot better than I have the last year or so. There are a lot of factors. I think the U.S. Open at Southern Hills definitely had to have something to do with it because I played so well and was so close to winning, and then I didn't win. It was a letdown. They way it finished, too, it was goofy and obviously, I was in the limelight in an unusual way.

PARD: But, some of that had to do with you being a gentleman by putting out, didn't it?

Cink: Yes, but I think everyone understands that. When you are playing in the pros, there are certain things, rules that are unwritten but they are written in stone. For instance, Retief Goosen has two putts from 10 feet straight uphill to win the U.S. Open and I am one shot back of him until I miss my little one-and-a-half-foot putt. It is my duty to get out of his way... But, that's not where the hangover came from. It came more from missing an 18-inch putt in front of a lot of people. I am basically standing there naked. I got a little bit freaked about my putting after that because I was just afraid that I was going to miss again. That's something that really shouldn't happen because I was associating missing a putt here and there with, 'Oh, my gosh I am a failure.' Well that's not the case. A golf ball going in the hole is not something that I should be associating with whether or not I am a good person or a bad person. I fell into sort of a funk, putting defensively and playing defensively. I was basically not even looking forward to getting into contention again even though that experience at the U.S. Open was great. I went and finished third the next week. That was part of the hangover, and that is the reason I have been playing poorly. But, I am working through it and I am scoring better and I am a little more comfortable. I have gotten over all of that stuff. I am ready to get back into contention and qualifying for the Ryder Cup was great. If the Ryder Cup had been played as scheduled back in 2001, that was right after the U.S. Open, I probably wasn't in very good shape to play it being in the public eye. At that time, just three months later, I was the guy who lost the U.S. Open by missing a one-and-a-half-foot putt.

PARD: But, athletes aren't supposed to be human?

Cink: That's right. We're not supposed to be human. In golf, you can't let yourself think that you can't be human. Everybody misses putts. I got to thinking that I am a Ryder Cup player, I am in the top 25 in the world, and I cannot miss putts like that. I just put so much pressure on myself.

PARD: It is difficult for me not to notice that the crowds that surround Tiger, Mickelson, Els and Garcia, but it also seems the appreciation level for other players is relatively muted in comparison to what they get. Have you noticed that since you joined the Tour?

Cink: Yeah, I have noticed that. I think it is just part of sports and the fan base that we have. They love the superstars. It doesn't really bother me when I am out there playing with someone like Tiger, especially Tiger. You can't put Tiger, Ernie and Sergio all in the same group because Tiger's galleries are like nothing golf has ever known. When you play with Tiger, you feel like no one gives a crap about what you are doing. But, Tiger is really good about letting you putt out, even if you are close to his line because if he putts out, they stampede. The marshals, they do not care because they are watching him. I guess it is a question of respect. Do people respect the players on the next tier down from those guys? They probably don't, but that's a part of sports. American sports fans love the superstar. I love superstars, too. I am a fan of other sports like hockey and baseball. There are a lot of other good, really solid players in other sports that I do not know of. If we were walking down the street I would not give them another look, because I wouldn't know who they were.

PARD: Some people describe Vijay Singh as being totally immersed in the game, as if he was a golf-aholic. Guys like him practice constantly, they watch it on TV, they read about the history. Are you a golf fanatic or do you take it more in stride?

Cink: I am not a golf fanatic like Vijay in terms of practice. I love the game. Ever since I was a little kid, I love playing, and the feeling of shooting a low score is almost unsurpassed in life. It's a great feeling. Professionally my goal is to shoot low scores, and when I do it I feel great. Vijay practices a lot -- what he thinks is best for him. For me, I do not think that is necessarily best ... I practice my confidence more than I do my movements or my swing or my stroke. I never practice my putting. I only practice my confidence. If I go to the putting green and putt for five minutes and if I feel like I cannot miss then I'll quit. I really will. If I stay there for an hour and I still do not feel like I am that confident, then I'll keep going. That's the way I am with hitting balls, too.

PARD: Of the current guys on Tour, is there anyone who has the game and mental capacity to compete with Tiger head-to-head all the time?

Cink: I do not think so. The last time I played with him I beat him pretty bad, but he was not himself. So, on any day, anybody can beat him. But, for four days, there is a lot fewer people that can beat him. And for a year, I am not sure anybody can. It is a professional sport and he's the best.

PARD: Tiger's physical attributes are one thing, but the mental side of his game is extraordinary.

Cink: He's got everything. He has no weaknesses. It seems like he hits it a lot straighter when he needs to. The early rounds, he is spraying it all over the place, but you get him into Sunday and he is in contention. He seems to put it in the fairway even more. A lot of guys go the opposite way. Ernie Els established himself [as the next chief rival of Tiger] earlier this year and he's got tremendous game. But when you go against Tiger head-to-head over and over, I think Tiger is going to win out more than not.

PARD: It seems like a lot of people fail to realize just how difficult it is to win a PGA Tour event, not to mention a major. Is winning the most important thing, or is it just performing well to the best of your ability, week-in and week-out?

Cink: Winning seems more important the longer you go without winning. I am on a three-year victory drought. I am ready to win a tournament. It's been a while since I won down at Hilton Head. It feels so great that you want to repeat that feeling over and over. But, then you try to start controlling everything on the course. You start trying to win on the first tee, when you realize, actually just playing your best and keeping a calm sense of peace about yourself and staying relaxed, that's actually the way you go about winning. I realized the two tournaments I won, and the three on the Nationwide Tour, I never played my greatest golf to win those tournaments. I just put myself in position and a few good things happened and I am holding trophies. When you go a while without winning, you start to press and avoid trying to mess up when you get close to winning. That's not the way to do it.

PARD: In the past 46 events you played, your first, second and third round scoring average is almost identical, and you actually play better in the fourth rounds. Even though you haven't won, many other people would give their right eye to shoot 70 every time they play golf.

Cink: I set high standards for myself. I have played all right and a lot of players on Tour would be perfectly happy with the way I have played the last couple years. I consider myself to be better than the average player. Not to brag or anything, but I feel like I can do better than that. I know there are little things in my game that I can improve. The stats do not always indicate that. Sometimes it is your gut that tells you you need to be better. I consider myself to be an underachieving player throughout my whole career. I think I have more talent than two wins. And I am still waiting. One day it is going to work out and I am going to be performing at my potential. I hope so; anyway, I hope I don't have to wait until I am 60.

PARD: Your past two finishes before Doral seemed to indicate you were on an upswing. Other than the fact you are not as consistent as you want to be, are you pleased with where your game is heading?

Cink: With where it is heading I definitely am pleased. I started working with a new coach, which for me is a little bit of a new concept. I started seeing Butch Harmon. My gut instinct was telling me that I needed to make some improvements. I can be a little more accurate off the tee, there is no question about that. I am in the middle of some very slight reforms in my swing. It is nothing big but just enough to help me to be a little bit more consistent. I am not trying to be perfect. But, I know I can do a little bit to make myself better. In that area, I feel I am headed in the right direction. With my putting, I feel 100 percent better. It all comes from inside and especially in your head. Putting is just so much in your head. It is all confidence.

PARD: You and Lisa have been married since you were at Georgia Tech. How important has she been to your career?

Cink: She has been fantastic because she gave up so much. She was on a career path in molecular biology from Georgia Tech. She was getting ready to get right into genetics and cancer research, and she put in on hold. She became a mom and she's still considering going back to school for a masters degree and a PhD. Now that our youngest son is 5 and in school full time, she is seriously considering applying back to school and achieving that goal. She has put it all aside for me. It has been fantastic. She is one of the most selfless people I have ever met. She has been a blessing to me.

PARD: Has it helped you to have that stable family atmosphere during your career?

Cink: Early on it was probably the most important thing; I made a real big improvement right after we got married. I was married between my sophomore and junior year in college. That is when I started to get a lot better at golf. I owe that to maturity -- getting married and having a child all of a sudden is instant maturity. I was seeing the world, my golf game and everything I was doing in a whole new light ... In this game there are a lot of bad times; in fact, probably more bad than good depending upon the person. So, you do a lot of leaning. I have been able to lean on Lisa and the kids quite a bit. Now, that the kids are older, it has drawn me away from playing as much. I want to be home for their hockey games. I want to be at church with them on Wednesday nights, and I am wanting to do a lot more with them because there is so much more communication.

PARD: Can you describe what it was like to win your first tournament in Hartford?

Cink: Well, that was six years ago. It was almost shock...When it happened it didn't seem as hard as I thought it would. I thought I was going have to be perfect to win. Then I waited three years, and the second one [Heritage] was even more satisfying. I had waited a little while to win, but I played a great round on Sunday, beat some great players down the stretch and finished off with a birdie. When the ball fell in it was instant relief. Vindication.

PARD: You are looking for that relief one more time?

Cink: I am hoping each one feels better because it was pretty awesome the last time.

PARD: Thank you, Stewart.