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WGC NEC INVITATIONAL


August 18, 2004


Stewart Cink


AKRON, OHIO

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Stewart Cink, thank you for joining us for a couple minutes here this afternoon. We could start first, congratulations on making the Ryder Cup team. If we could start with some opening comments about that as well as coming to play in the NEC Invitational this week.

STEWART CINK: Thank you very much. Making the Ryder Cup team has been a goal of mine for  ‑‑ well, ever since the last Ryder Cup. You start your goals all over again. At the start of the year, a lot of people were asking me what do you think it's going to take to make the team, and I told them I need to have two wins probably. In April I got the first one so I sort of appeared on the radar screen. But then I wasn't able to get another win, but luckily for me I made the Ryder Cup, my main focus, and played a lot of tournaments and played well in some of those and was just outside the Top 10 but enough to get enough attention by Hal to be worthy of a pick, and I'm flattered by that.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Some comments about the NEC Invitational.

STEWART CINK: Obviously it's a great reward for playing well. No one in this field has performed poorly. Everybody is playing great, and it's a real measure of your game, to be invited to this tournament and to compete here. It's one of the greatest courses we play all year, and NEC always does such a great job with the tournament. Even behind the scenes in the locker room everybody knows how great it is and it's a treat to play here.

Q. You made it in '01 but that was as a captain's pick. When you first get here is there any awkwardness between say you and Jerry or Verplank or Hamilton or anyone else that Hal picked over you? Not your fault, but is it weird?

STEWART CINK: Well, I don't know really. I'm expecting there to be a little bit of awkwardness just because I feel bad for those guys not being on the team. There was such a good pool to pick from, it's hard to say that anybody didn't deserve a shot at it. I haven't seen anybody yet since I came from the airport to the car to the locker room to here.

Q. How does the course look?

STEWART CINK: From the parking lot it looks great. I haven't seen anybody. I rode up here with Chris DiMarco, so we were able to share in our joys and talk a little bit about what's to come since he's never played in one. I was able to help his wife with her shopping needs.

Q. Given the fact that so many guys are playing all over the world in different events, do you think it might be time to give some points for the Ryder Cup for foreign victories? Todd Hamilton wins four times in Japan, zero Ryder Cup points, Mark O'Meara wins in Dubai, zero Ryder Cup points. Is it time where the U.S. starts giving Ryder Cup points the way the Europeans are, all over the world?

STEWART CINK: I think that will be the time when the U.S. tour fails to be the strongest Tour on the planet because most Americans at the top of their game are playing here and you've got a lot of players from around the world coming here to play. You don't see too many of the top Americans say, I'm going over to play in Japan or Australia or South Africa or wherever it is. I don't think that really is a real problem yet. If those tours rise up to the level of our Tour and we have equal type arenas around the world, then I think maybe we need to look at that issue, but I don't think right now it is. Right now I think the U.S. giving players on their tours points is enough.

Q. What about foreign players taking points away from U.S. players on our Tour? How do you feel about that?

STEWART CINK: The Top 10 is the Top 10. If you play well enough to earn points, it doesn't matter who's in there. I don't see it as taking points away from our players because mainly we've got a certain number of spots on the Tour through qualifying Tour and through 125 exemptions and all that stuff. We have the same number of players now that we've had. More of those players from overseas and other countries because the talent level is growing around the world and getting better and better. I don't see a problem with anybody taking points away from us at all. I still think that it's the Top 10 American players.

Q. But the problem is it's not the Top 10 American players for the Ryder Cup, but on a weekly basis about half or more of the points don't get awarded because of foreign players finishing in the Top 10, so you're comfortable with the fact that that happens and you don't think the system should be kind of maybe revamped since it hasn't been touched really in that way for years?

STEWART CINK: Without having really any facts in front of me I can't say that there's been much of a change. I did hear M.G. Orender talk about the possibility of moving back to 20, awarding points for the Top 20. But then he also said when they look at it, and they do it after every Ryder Cup, he said there has been very little, if any, impact on the team. I would be in favor of awarding points for 11 through 20 because you have to really play well in the Top 20. You can play maybe the same type of golf today and finish 8th and you finish 18th. M.G. said they have looked at the facts and determined that there is very little impact. I can only answer by what I've heard him say, and that's keeping it the same.

Q. Apparently they tried to change the 2nd hole by moving the tee back 30 yards. Did that hole need something done to it? Do you feel like it was traditionally a pretty easy hole here? I know you haven't seen it yet.

STEWART CINK: I haven't seen the change but I read about it. Without playing it, I can only speculate what the change might be. It was a pretty short hole. In fact, I used a 3‑wood off that tee before because I had to curve it right to left. Then I can still reach it with a long iron or a 3‑wood. I think the tee is moved farther right so you don't have to curve it as much off the tee from what I understand. That makes me and everybody else who was considering 3‑wood before just go ahead and wail on the driver, which is probably going to put your ball out there as far as it was anyway. I wouldn't expect there to be a major change there. Lengthening a par 5 from 495 to 530 really isn't going to impact us that much.

Q. What's the difference in satisfaction between after Hilton Head and after the phone call from Hal?

STEWART CINK: It's a world of difference actually because as everybody knows in the room, Hilton Head I went through a pretty wide range of emotions in a few hours after that tournament finished up, so now after I got the call and I feel like I played my way on the team even though I didn't finish automatic qualifier, I got the call, and I felt pretty much the same ever since, which is excitement. I feel like I satisfied a major goal of mine.

Q. What about the response you get from players? Is it about the same as if you had just won a tournament?

STEWART CINK: It is about the same. I got calls from some of the guys on the team and a few other guys, some caddies and some friends, a lot of friends and a lot of media, not just asking questions but also just calling to say, hey, I already have all I need to write the story, but congratulations. It feels good to hear that. It does feel a lot like winning a tournament.

Q. Do you know enough about the other guys on the team that you could sort of walk into a meeting with Hal and say, "yeah, we can play together, we can play together," or do you need to practice a few times to see how guys are playing a month from now?

STEWART CINK: I think I could play with anybody out there on the team because I get along with everybody. I'm very easy going on the golf course. I'll sort of fit my  ‑‑ almost like I fit my personality to the guy I'm playing with just so we can mesh well. I'm just real easy going. I played in the Ryder Cup last year, the last time they played it, so I had good success with Jim Furyk, and he and I played well. David Toms, Chris DiMarco, Chad Campbell, Chris Riley and I are all good friends. I feel a lot more at ease with my position on the team than I did last time.

Q. Do you have any good Chris Riley stories?

STEWART CINK: I have a couple good ones. I have one I can't tell.

Q. That's the one I want to hear.

STEWART CINK: I know it is. He's like an eight‑year‑old. He's one of the great personalities on the Tour that many people don't realize that because he's not a real  ‑‑ he's not the kind of guy that hogs the camera very much. He's got a naivete about him that draws you in, and you want to learn more about Chris Riley. He's going to be interesting. It's going to be  ‑‑ Jay Haas is like our uncle there and then we're going to have like our nephew there, Chris. But he's the same age I am.

Q. Were you on the charter over? I want to say it was Valderama or maybe it was Ireland.

STEWART CINK: I've never flown on one of those before, so no.

Q. Back to the point about personality and playing with different guys, is it more important that your games match up somehow or is it better to just be personally comfortable when you're going out and playing in team matches?

STEWART CINK: That's a good question. I think equally it's important because your games have to match up especially in alternate shot format. You have to sort of know what to expect from the other guy, and some guys are straight hitters who can expect consistency and some guys are really long and wild and you expect some shots out of the trees. You need to match games up for alternate‑shot.

Also for best ball, it's important to have guys that are talking, communicating, staying on the same level emotionally. You don't want to have guys that are away from each other and not talking and friendly with each other, so those are important points.

Q. Will making the team change your schedule that you had through September?

STEWART CINK: It's changed my schedule, yeah. I'm going to play in the Bell Canadian Open the week before. I like playing in tournaments week after week when there's a big tournament coming up. I basically treat the Ryder Cup like it's a major championship and play the week before.

Q. After the loss two years ago, has there been discussion amongst yourself and other players about the fact that we write about that we just don't show up, that basically has been said we're like lambs to the slaughter when we get there? Do you guys talk about that and how do you feel about that?

STEWART CINK: We might talk about that a little bit. I'm not sure yet about this week, but I expect there to be a little bit of a meeting here. I don't know, maybe that's wrong. I think there will be probably a little get‑together. That will probably come up because you're right, the American team have over the years sort of under‑performed. I think on paper it's hard to argue that the American teams haven't been favored every year. We'll see. It's hard to expect one person to come out and motivate everybody to perform to their highest level. If one person can figure that out, he wouldn't be having to play golf anymore or captaining any teams.

I know Hal is fired up and he's as competitive as anybody who's ever played the game on Tour. I'm looking forward to seeing what he throws at us.

Q. Does he still consider you guys the best team?

STEWART CINK: We're strong. I like our team top to bottom. A lot of new faces out there with fresh talent and guys I know who are eager to make their mark on the Ryder Cup.

Q. Is it okay for the American golf fans to expect you guys to be the favorites, expect you guys to win, or should they look at this as even‑Steven considering Europe has won the last six of nine?

STEWART CINK: I think it's fair for them to expect us to win. They have to look at the fact that it is close every year. You can put some 5 handicappers out there against the U.S. team and it might be close because everybody gets so fired up at the Ryder Cup, and vice versa. You could put 5 handicappers on their team or our team. The event just brings out a level of competition that ordinary tournament play doesn't seem to bring out. It's hard to explain.

Q. Have you been to Oakland Hills since the Open?

STEWART CINK: No. I was going to go during the Buick Open, but it was about 45 degrees and rained about an inch that day. I thought I would be better off not to go that day.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Stewart Cink, thank you very much.

End of FastScripts.
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