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THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

November 3, 2004

Stewart Cink

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome hometown Atlantan Stewart Cink to the 2004 TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.

Stewart, two-time winner this year, a fantastic season with over $4 million in earnings. Let's talk about that.

STEWART CINK: Thanks. It has been a great season for me. I've really taken a big step this year. I feel like I've gotten to the point where I know I can be competitive at every course I play and perform well in some places that I just haven't done that well in the past. It's been a big year for me as far as growth on my career.

TODD BUDNICK: Talk a little bit more about that. I know there was a time last year or maybe the year before that where you were struggling with yourself and your game and you seem to have overcome it.

STEWART CINK: I don't know about overcoming it; you never totally overcome weaknesses. I mean, you can, but you never put everything aside totally. I decided instead of letting bad play and fearful play control my game, I decided that I would just take control, and I wouldn't worry so much about that. I've had a lot more fun playing because of that and a lot more fun translates into better scores, higher on the Money List, a few wins.

Q. Sort of on the same lines, can you describe what it feels like to have that happen? Has it been a relief to maybe find an answer, or has it been a surprise? What's the ultimate?

STEWART CINK: I think the surprise was more of where I was for a few years. Really '02 was my worst year. The Money List says I was 73rd that year. I don't feel like I should be around 73rd on the Money List after a season. That was sort of the depth. That's what I'm surprised by. I'm not surprised by this year at all. I am relieved a little bit because you never know how long something like that is going to last, and you've seen some players where they go into spells where they can't play at all temporarily and sometimes they last longer than that unfortunately. It's just been -- it has been a relief, I will say that.

I just feel like I've really shown myself that I can perform at a higher level now. I've always known that I really could, but at some point you start wondering, well, am I just saying that or do I really believe that? Am I just blowing smoke? Is it really true? I think this year I sort of validated my own assessment, and that's -- I think I can go a lot farther, too.

Q. You went to Georgia Tech, you live up at Sugar Loaf. What's it mean to you to come and play this particular tournament, Top 20, 21 on the Money List, to get in front of the hometown crowd?

STEWART CINK: It means a lot to play this tournament, but to play it in my own backyard at a course where I'm a member and get to play it some, it does mean a lot. It's fun, it's relaxing, and this event is a blast to play in. The course is so good, the players respect the course and the field is good. It actually feels a lot like NEC. That's a rewarding tournament to be in, and I feel like this is similar to that.

Q. You're a member here. Does it cross your mind a little bit about Bobby Jones and the history of the course when you're out there?

STEWART CINK: You know, the clubhouse reminds me a lot of Jones and seeing the house where he was born over there on the back nine. The course really has changed a lot over the years. It's still a classic style of course, but it has totally changed. It's a Reese Jones golf course. It's not the same old course it used to be. The clubhouse is -- it's like a Shah Ryan, a perfect Shah Ryan to Bobby Jones. You've got the trophies, the clubs, all kinds of just really cool memorabilia, newspaper articles, stuff you wouldn't see anywhere else. If you take time to go through it, you really get a sense of the place and the man, too.

Q. You were talking earlier about getting over that playing fearfully. It's easy to talk about not being that way, but how do you kind of take that plunge and really shed that kind of stuff?

STEWART CINK: Well, it's not easy. I switched over from a sports psychologist over to more of like a therapist guy, sort of like I guess a non-sports psychologist, just a head doctor. I didn't do it trying to become a better player; I did it because I was just tired of dealing with all that anxiety about golf. Golf was starting to creep into the way I feel about myself and the way I live myself, and I didn't really want that to happen. I wasn't enjoying it.

So really the part that helped me succeed -- I'm not through yet. It's always going to be a work in progress. But I really separated my golf scores, my shots, finish on the Money List, my number of wins, I separated that away from Stewart Cink. That really enabled me to just go out there and play the game for what it is and try to bring back the way I felt I played when I was about eight years old. I had so much fun playing, trying to better myself every day, bettering my career best scores, trying to hit the ball past certain trees. I remember those days like they were yesterday. I tried to get those feelings back, and slowly it came back. Now I can have a lot better time on the golf course, and the 75s I'm just not hanging myself over anymore. It's not like I don't shoot them.

Q. How much did you play here when you were at Tech?

STEWART CINK: I played here a good bit at Tech, but it wasn't the same Eastlake when I was at Tech. It's a different East Lake today.

Q. I was wondering because you're talking about bringing back memories of when golf was fun.

STEWART CINK: Well, it was fun then but I'm talking about way more when I was a kid.

Q. How has the course changed? How different is the course?

STEWART CINK: It's just not the same course at all. It was a strong course but it was always in average or poor shape. They had no money around here at all. There was always rumors that it was going to go under or close down, so I guess that's one of the reasons I always played here, because it was easy to get on.

I always loved playing here because it was a tough course to play. You had bad lies, rough greens, and I felt like if I played here and played well, I could go to any place where we played our tournaments in college. I used it to my advantage.

Q. I don't know the precise year, but maybe ten years ago, 12, something like that, we never heard of a therapist or a psychologist or whatnot in golf. I wonder if you have a sense of what it was like before. I know you don't go back quite that far, but what was it like before for other guys, and what brought on this need for these guys?

STEWART CINK: I can tell you quickly what brought on the need. It's trying to get an edge when everybody is really good. Everybody is just so good at this game now that you have to try to do something to figure out a way to get better than somebody else. You're not going to hit the ball better than Ernie Els or Tiger or Vijay. You're not going to putt better, you're not going to chip better. Everybody does all that stuff the same. It comes down to your mind and the way you can mentally handle the different situations that the golf course throws at you every day, and everybody deals with it a different way. Some guys don't deal with it at all, and I admire that, too. I chose to go out and try to figure out myself a little bit and figure out how I tick and what makes me work. By getting to know myself a lot better, I've turned into a better golfer.

Q. Did you keep your eye on who they might pick for the Ryder Cup captain?

STEWART CINK: I wasn't following it very close, no.

Q. Your thoughts on Lehman?

STEWART CINK: I think he's going to be a great captain. When they were talking about possible picks like right after the Ryder Cup, his name wasn't coming up very much at all, and I was thinking, why isn't anyone mentioning Tom Lehman. Then last week I actually heard -- I don't know if it was on TV or whatever, but I did hear or read that he had withdrawn his name, so I thought he was out until today. But I think he's going to be a great captain. He's fiery, he's been there, he loves the U.S., and he'll want to win.

Q. Will that help turn it around? Hal was the same way.

STEWART CINK: No captain is going to come turn it around. It's not a captain's job; it's the players' job.

Q. This tournament obviously is important wherever it is, but does it change your goal at all to make this year knowing that it's going to be in your backyard?

STEWART CINK: Well, not really. It doesn't make it more important to be here because the only situation where I can think of where it would add stress is if I was 31st going into the last tournament, I might be a little more nervous, and I've been in that situation. Just being here and being qualified, you know, this year I didn't have a lot of stress at the last minute trying to get in, so I can savor this. I love playing in front of Atlanta. I think it's great.

TODD BUDNICK: All right, thank you, Stewart.

End of FastScripts.

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