KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 26, 2023

Stewart Cink

Quick Quotes

PGA Frisco

Q. 4-under today. 8-under through 36 holes. Is this the kind of start you were looking for?

STEWART CINK: To be honest, after playing the two rounds in practice I thought that 8-under would be probably, I felt like it might be pretty close to leading after two days. The scoring's been a little surprisingly lower than I thought it would be. It's a pretty big course, but the greens are holding and they're not like a speed that's going to scare anybody. So I think that's the explanation. Plus the wind's not really a factor like it can be.

But I'm pleased with the way I played. I've been pretty clean. Today was actually probably a little bit better round than yesterday from a sloppiness standpoint. I hemmed it in a little bit. But good solid play and I'm in good shape going into the weekend and it's going to be fun fighting it out.

Q. You talked yesterday about not getting off to the best of starts on the PGA TOUR this year and then you come here I would think expecting to contend. What's the quick flip in that?

STEWART CINK: Well, it's had a hard to explain but I think professional golf is, you're always like on the knife edge from being like setting the world on fire to setting your house on fire. (Laughing.)

It's not that great a difference from contending and finish top 10 and being in the mix a lot of times to trying to figure some things out and shooting 72 and going home on the weekend. It's not that big a difference. So one shift in the mentality is when you go from feeling like an old guy who is out to pasture against all the stars to feeling like the youngest and literally being the youngest guy in the field, it's just, I think naturally you flip your mentality and suddenly you feel like a world beater again.

It's just, just a little bit from one side of that edge to the other and I definitely feel confident here. The last few weeks have been trending good for me. I feel like I played really good at the Byron Nelson, didn't start great, but solid finish. Golf's always such a work in progress, but a little mentality shift definitely is a boost.

Q. Obviously you've competed with and against these guys for many years. But I wonder once you step like you said into this realm do you get teased at all about being a whipper snapper or having maybe more length than some of these guys?

STEWART CINK: Yeah, definitely. And I just remind them that they were once in my exact position. And they were the longest guy, they were the youngest guy, whatever. Everybody had that moment when they came out here and they got their chance to be the youngest and then it goes like this (indicating.)

So I'm taking advantage of it here. This has been fun. The golf course really, to be honest, couldn't set up much better for me this week being my first over-50 tournament because it's a big one. Having some length here is probably even a bigger factor than it would be week-in and week-out on this tour. So unbeknownst I picked a really good one to start with. And it's been a fun time.

Q. It's been a family occasion for you. I guess how are you guys enjoying the facility, the campus and how much of it have you seen?

STEWART CINK: Oh, I've seen my room a lot. No, it's beautiful. The PGA facility over there, the practice area, they got this little short course I think it's called The Swing, it's got a little drink holder on every tee, which is a nice touch. It's beautiful here. The golf course definitely is outperforming my expectations. You come to a new course you just don't know what to expect from -- Gil Hanse is obviously like a highly-regarded designer, but you just don't know what's coming. Then to get out here and see 18 holes it's like, wow, this is a really solid course. And it's fun to play. Every shot out here's a lot of fun. So it's all golf here and looks like they're going to have another course here that's going to be really good too very soon. So this hotel is great. It's pretty rare that we get to stay on-site for a tournament and this week we're doing it and it's great.

Q. Would you have joined this tour regardless right away or did the fact that it was a major was right after you turned 50 was that part of it?

STEWART CINK: I would say the priority for me choosing to play here was I just turned 50, I was borderline getting into the tournament down the street at Colonial, and if I wasn't going to be in that I was going to play here. That was it. Just being straightforward and honest with you. It really didn't matter that it was a major to me. It mattered more that it was like right after my 50th birthday and it was in a place where I thought it would be an interesting place to come and play here at this course. Heard a lot about it.

So I just wanted to kind of get my feet wet early and I don't know that I'm going to play that much more PGA TOUR Champions golf this summer. I might play a few, but for the most part focus on the PGA TOUR play through the rest of the FedExCup and see where I land after that. The fall may look a little different.

Q. What was the process of waiting on Colonial? Were you waiting for a spot or just a word how did that go?

STEWART CINK: Basically, yes. Yes, I played Colonial a lot of times, love playing there. But Colonial's one of those tournaments that's based on the current year more than like what you've done the last couple. I just haven't done much this year. So I wasn't really very close to getting in on my number. I don't think they wanted to give a spot to a 50-plus-year-old golfer. They chose younger players. That's their right. I don't have any complaints about it at all. I had every opportunity to get in there on my own. But the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship was more than a worthy option for me. I mean, when I didn't get into Colonial I was not too upset. I was looking forward to playing here as a backup. So it's been a fun week, it's at least lived up to my expectations and probably more.

Q. Did you do anything to celebrate your 50th birthday?

STEWART CINK: Yeah, I did. My wife and I both turned 50 in the last few weeks. So for her birthday we went to Las Vegas, we spent one week half in Vegas half in Zion National Park. Then for my birthday we went to the Bahamas with two other couples, two golfers and their wives. So we've been doing a lot of celebrating and having fun and just kind of kicking back. Sort of remembrance mode. We've been thinking back about how -- just feels like it's been like this (snaps fingers) that we just got started on the PGA TOUR and now here we are getting started on a new TOUR at 50. It's amazing.

Q. As you look to play out here a little bit or the Regular Tour, what's that wrestle?

STEWART CINK: You may have heard they keep adding these designated events on the big TOUR. So the big thing is I want to get in those and I'm not anywhere near -- I'm going to have to have a heck of a summer to get in those, but I want to try to get in those give myself a chance. I think if I -- I'm looking forward to PGA Champions Tour golf. But I think if I just converted to this tour right away and played the rest of the summer right away, and just didn't give myself any chance to get into those big tournaments I think I would look back and say, why didn't I at least give it a shot. And if I go out there and fall on my face and don't do anything, then I'll be 50 at the end of the fall, at the end of the FedExCup. Once you turn 50 you don't ever turn back 49. So I'll have this to play in for awhile. But I really want to give myself a chance to play in those designated events next year. I think that would be amazing. If I don't get in those, I think the writing might be on the wall that I'll be playing a lot more PGA TOUR Champions events. But I'm going to give it a go this summer.