When Stewart Cink made the cut this year at the PGA’s Valspar Championship, it marked a career accomplishment he didn’t know about at the time.
The nine-time winner on the tour had made the cut for the 500th time, becoming only the eighth player to do so. Many legends of the game have not hit that mark.
But what did it mean as a piece of his nearly three decades on the tour?
“I’ve forgotten about 80% of those,†he said Thursday at Norwood Hills Country Club. “I didn’t know and when someone mentioned it I thought ‘That’s pretty significant.’ A lot of guys consider it a feather in their cap when they get to 500 starts. To make 500 cuts I guess is something I’m proud of. But I don’t really think of golf as a cumulative thing. It starts over every tournament.â€
For Cink, 51, that will be Friday at the Ascension Charity Classic, which will be his 11th PGA Tour Champions event. A bigger highlight for him in 2024 was winning the Ally Challenge two weeks ago for his first on the tour.
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If nothing else, the 500 cuts accomplishment speaks to Cink’s longevity, durability and consistency. Now he’s trying to establish those same traits among the 50-plus set.
He no longer has to worry about making the cut — the PGA Tour Champions doesn’t’ have them. He has finished third twice, in the top five four times and in the top 10 in eight of 10 events.
Now that Cink has a win, he hopes to add to that category.
“There’s definitely a bit more confidence and belief because you were recently given that confirmation that you must be doing something pretty decent,†he said. “But at the same time, there’s also a natural urge to back yourself up. We’re going to take the last tournament and learn what we can. It didn’t go perfect. We’ll keep building on that. The goal is to give no one a chance to win except yourself.â€
Cink almost did just that two weeks ago, taking a comfortable lead into the final round and then tying the tournament record low score.
He has split time this year between the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. His plate will remain full after this weekend with his role as an assistant captain for the Presidents Cup at the Royal Montreal Golf Club the last week of September.
The last time Cink played in ºüÀêÊÓƵ was in the PGA Championship at Bellerive in 2018. He called it his “most intense fan experience†outside of a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup.
Cink has been reunited with many players he saw regularly over the years on the PGA Tour. There also have been frustrations. He was in position to win in Tucson, Ariz., but stumbled down the stretch with a triple bogey that proved painful.
“The most challenging thing has been dealing with the expectations as a rookie and the youngest guy,†Cink said. “There are high expectations. It’s just not easy. I had a couple chances to win. Tucson hurt and I’ve been open about that and the displeasure going through it. It meant a lot to play well (last tournament) and not feel like I was cruising but have a fairly substantial win.â€
This week’s field includes seven of the top 10 in the Schwab Cup standings and players who have won 220 PGA tournaments, including 19 senior major championship winners.
Ernie Els was the last player to win back-to-back tournaments earlier this year. Els leads the Schwab Cup standings but is not in this weekend’s field, having withdrawn.
Cink played Norwood Hills for the first time Thursday in a practice round ahead of the start of the 54-hole tournament.
“I think it’s fabulous,†he said. “It’s a good driving course. There’s some rough out there. There’s a lot of pitch on the greens. It’s not necessarily back to front but some right to left and some pitch away. It’s just a really good test. It’s an old-style course. I love the way the holes are on top of ridges or in valleys with a lot of ups and downs. It has a cool rhythmic feel to it.â€