Cink leaves the field in his wake at Hilton Head
Veteran Stewart Cink smashed a 36-hole record by shooting a second-straight 63 to take a five-stroke lead in the quest for his third RBC Heritage title at Hilton Head.
The 47-year-old’s mark of 16-under 126 sliced three shots off the previous best 36-hole total at the famed South Carolina course, with the old record of 129 set by Jack Nicklaus in 1975 and repeated in 2002 by Phil Mickelson.
Cink, whose victory at September’s Safeway Open was his first in 11 years, was three shots behind Canada’s Corey Conners at the beginning of the day but started well by eagling the par-five second hole before birdies at the third and sixth.
Conners shot 64 to be second on 11 under, while Argentinian Emiliano Grillo was a further stroke back after he went bogey-free and collected seven birdies to also card a 64 to go with his opening 68.
The pack in fourth, one
stroke back at nine under, included Collin Morikawa who finished with a round of 68, his fellow American Billy Horschel (67), Australian Cameron Smith with 71 and Sungjae Im of South Korea (65), who was another to eagle the 504-yard second hole.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry, nine strokes off the pace after also shooting 65, had a share of 11th with Matt Fitzpatrick after the Englishman carded eight birdies en route to a 64.
Scot Robert MacIntyre was 11 shots behind Cink along with Englishmen Ian Poulter and Matt Wallace, who followed his opening 65 with a less impressive 72.
England’s Lee Westwood, Tom Lewis, Danny Willett and Tyrrell Hatton were 13 off the pace with a share of 40th.
▪ Lydia Ko birdied the 18th hole at Kapolei Golf Club to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the LPGA Lotte Championship in Hawaii.
Ko shot seven-under-par 65 for the day and is 21 under after the third round. Nellie Korda, who fired a nine-under 63, is right behind her at 20 under.