Former Open winner Cink still savours his Turnberry play-off win a decade on
Exactly ten years after walking into a packed media centre at Turnberry to talk about how he foiled Tom Watson’s bid for a sixth Claret Jug at the age of 59, Stewart Cink smiled as he was greeted by only two journalists at the end of the 148th Open Championship.
He knew, of course, that we weren’t there to ask about his final day’s work at Royal Portrush, though three birdies early on helped him sign off with a par-breaking 70 as he finished in the top half of the field. We wanted to chat about 2009 and, in fairness, the 46-year-old was happy to oblige.
“When I look back on the Open win, nothing has changed,” said Cink, who won in a play-off after Watson had agonisingly bogeyed the last. “It doesn’t mean any more or less than it did at the time. It feels so much fresher in my mind. I can’t believe it’s been ten years since it happened. It’s flown by.
“Knowing my name is on my trophy for however long they play this tournament means so much. I am so proud of the achievement. I’ve watched it. It’s been a little while but it’s great to go back and watch some of the shots.
“I remember most of them soi don’ t need to watch them again. It’s playing right up here all the time [pointing to his head].
“My Claret Jug is sitting out. It’s not in a cabinet. It’s in a room right in front of the house. My other trophies are behind it in a cabinet. But I see it every time I walk by.”
After missing the cut on the Antrim coast, Paul Lawrie said he no longer felt competitive in the event. Four years younger than the Scot, admittedly, Cink said: “I still feel I can compete out here, absolutely. I haven’t lost any power. The only thing you accumulate over the years other than losing power is that it seems like your brain switches gears a little bit and you remember the bad stuff and forget all the good stuff.
“So I’ve had to fight that and constantly try and identify those sort of behaviours that show up as you get older. It’s a new part of the game I’ve had to work on, but it’s no different than working on your putting or your short game or your tee balls. Now I’m getting older it’s just a fact of life.
“I feel if I put one eye on the Champions Tour then that would be the end of me playing on the regular tour.
“I am 46 and maybe when I’m 48 I’ll think about it a little more.
“But I’ve still got time to play golf out here and mostly I like what my game is doing. I’ve played fairly solid here this week.
“So, I don’t want to think about the Champions Tour just yet as that would perhaps signal a change of direction in my mind.”