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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 11, 2018

Stewart Cink

St. Louis, Missouri

Q. Talk about your round. You had a good round, and you were in the vortex too. So it must be good.
STEWART CINK: Yeah. Kind of reminded me of being in the vortex a lot of years ago. It was awesome. Being in Tiger's group is always exciting. Players try to downplay it, and I've downplayed it over the years myself because you're trying to downplay it yourself a little bit, but it's a pretty intense environment out there. It's fun.

You know, you've got to decide what you want to do with it before you get out there, and it was a lot of fun. Hearing the crowd, and Tiger's performing great. It was like turning back the hands of the clock.

Q. How was it different this time?
STEWART CINK: I didn't really feel like there was a difference at all. It just felt like all that I remembered playing with Tiger all those years, you know, when he was winning tournaments. I played with him a lot, a lot, on Sundays and weekends. It was -- today was really no different.

Q. Stewart, you keep talking about you're turning back the clock. What about this course has allowed to you do that?
STEWART CINK: This course -- well, you know what, there's a lot of similarities between this course and my home course of East Lake, a lot of similarities. Zoysia fairways, very similar conditions. East Lake did replace their greens with Bermuda about ten years ago, so that is gone. But in the old days, this was just like East Lake, bent greens, soft in the summer. So I'm really comfortable with this kind of grass. So it kind of feels a little bit like home to me, and I'm very familiar with it, the way it's going to react.

This course, I think, just kind of sets up well to my eye. The tee shots aren't really hard to figure out. They're hard -- you've got to execute it, but there's not a lot of question marks out there about what clubs to hit. It just feels like the club is jumping out of the bag, whatever one that is on the right hole. It's been a comfortable week for me. I haven't driven it perfectly or anything, but decisive -- decision making has been a good part of my game this week.

Q. How good did it feel to play well in that setting today?
STEWART CINK: Well, it feels well to play -- it feels great to play well in a PGA Championship. It's a Major, and I haven't been in this tournament for three years. So just to get in the field was a real bonus for me. I played my way in, which was great, and now to be having a Saturday round with Tiger Woods and rekindling the old friendship a little bit, chatting, and maybe get him tomorrow too. I don't know.

It's fun to play well in a Major and feel the tingle of excitement.

Q. Got any impression about how much he's enjoying doing this again as opposed to the past?
STEWART CINK: I didn't get any impression that he wasn't enjoying it. He looked like he was having fun. He played really well. I know he's a little frustrated on the back nine with not making a some of those putts, but made a few on the front nine, and it all evens out. It's not the easiest putting course this week to hole putts. So it looks like he's having a great time.

Q. Do you feel like it was a long time in the vortex?
STEWART CINK: No. I mean, it was fun to listen to all the noise and the crowd and see the support. They're really lively out there.

Q. Just like before?
STEWART CINK: Just like before. On top of that, we're coming to a place that hasn't seen this kind of golf tournament in quite a while, and the last one that was here had no Tiger Woods at it. No surprise the fans here are really turning out, and the crowds here have been huge, even the rainy days. I just feel like it's been really good to have Tiger back because I got to see it firsthand today.

Q. What's your game plan tomorrow, more of the same?
STEWART CINK: Yeah, I don't see there's any reason to change. It's going to be hot tomorrow again. Part of this tournament is managing yourself through the heat and making sure you stay hydrated and seek shade if you can. That's -- it's going to be the same tomorrow, you know. It actually affects your decision making a little bit and your commitment and your focus on the last several holes when it's this hot. You have to really watch that and kind of -- the bodily signs start to speak to you, you've got to listen.

Q. Did you sweat?
STEWART CINK: Did I sweat? Yeah, this is hat number two of the day.

Q. What did you do with the other one?
STEWART CINK: It's in my bag drying out. I wear these no sweat headbands under here, and they capture the sweat. Normally I'd go through three hats, but today was only two.

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