Cink turns back clock, takes lead
Midway record set at RBC Heritage
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Two-time champion Stewart Cink moved into position for a third RBC Heritage title, shooting a second straight 8-under-par 63 to set the 36-hole scoring mark at Harbour Town.
Cink, 47, sits at 16-under 126, five shots ahead of Corey Conners. The previous best midway score was 129, set by Jack Nicklaus en route to victory in 1975 and matched by Phil Mickelson, who placed third in 2002.
Conners shot 64 and was 11 under. Emiliano Grillo (64) was another shot behind.
Fourth-ranked Collin Morikawa, a Las Vegas resident preparing to defend his PGA Championship title next month, was tied for fourth at 9 under with Sungjae Im (65), Billy Horschel (67) and Cameron Smith, who followed his opening 62 with a 71.
Cink wasn’t overwhelmed by the scores he posted, chalking them up to smart preparation and strong execution alongside his 24-year-old son, Reagan, who’s caddying for him.
“It doesn’t feel all that special, to be honest with you,” Cink said. “We just kind of worked our game plan.”
Cink hasn’t finished in the top 20 at Harbour Town in a decade, hadn’t led halfway since the Travelers Championship in 2008 and is closer to the PGA Tour Champions than his prime.
Yet Cink has had a renaissance on golf ’s biggest stage this season. He won for the first time in 11 years at the Safeway Open in September and has added five top-20 finishes, including a tie for 12th last week at the Masters.
Cink was down three shots to Conners when he teed off Friday.
No matter. Cink erased the deficit with an eagle on the par-5 second and a birdie on
No. 3. Cink moved in front with a birdie on the sixth and built his margin the rest of the way, adding birdies on the 11th, 13th, 15th and 17th holes.
The veteran is two solid rounds away from adding a third plaid jacket to the two he earned in 2000 and 2004. In both of those wins, Cink came from behind Sunday.
Morikawa had seven birdie opportunities from 20 feet or less on his final nine holes, but the only one that dropped was an 18-footer on No. 6. He said changing wind conditions made it difficult to judge green speeds.
“It was tough not seeing a few birdies in,” he said. “But we’ll work on a few things and be fine for the weekend.”
■ LPGA: At Kapolei, Hawaii, Yuka Saso, a 19-year-old from the Philippines playing in the Lotte Championship on a sponsor’s exemption, shot a second straight 8-under 64 for a 16-under 128 total and a two-stroke lead over former No. 1 Lydia Ko (63). Fourthranked Nelly Korda (68) was tied for third, five shots out of the lead. Bishop Gorman product Inbee Park (66) and Las Vegas resident Danielle Kang (69) were nine shots back.
■ European PGA: At Atzenbrugg, Austria, Alejandro Canizares overcame a slow start to shoot 2-under 70 for a 7-under 137 total in the chilly Austrian Open, maintaining a one-stroke lead over former No. 1 Martin Kaymer (70) and John Catlin (70). UNLV products Kurt Kitayama (72) and Garrick Higgo (71) were six shots back.
■ Champions: At Naples, Fla., Fred Couples drained two 30-foot putts in the midst of a five-birdie run en route to a course-record 9-under 63 to open the Chubb Classic. Bernhard Langer was two shots back and alone in second, with Steve Stricker, Gene Sauers and Robert Karlsson another stroke back in third.