MCI CLASSIC

April 16, 2000

Stewart Cink

STEWART CINK: I started off a little shaky, obviously. On the range this morning, I just really didn't feel like I had it. It's hard to describe, other than that. I just didn't really feel like I had it. I was spraying the ball all over the place. On 1, I kind of made a shaky par, about a 5-footer there for par. And then 2, easy par 5 there, and I don't make birdie. I end up with a par. So No. 3, I hit a pitching wedge in there about 10, 15 feet and made that. That one really calmed me down. I knew once I made that, that I had my stroke pretty good for the day. And the next hole I made a decent par putt about eight feet. And from then on, just good putts and good shots all the way. I never really looked at the leaderboard too much to see where I was standing. I just knew that I wanted to keep on pushing forward. And I never stopped, really, until I got to the 18th hole, trying to make a par there, to be totally honest; and I ended up knocking it close enough to make a birdie. It was a great experience all around today, from start to finish.

STEWART CINK: I think I was on the 13th green when I first saw that. I was 11-under coming down that hole, and I thought I was three shots behind, at minimum, because when I looked at it after 9, I was two shots back, and I made a bogey in there. And so then I saw that the lead was 12, I think, Ernie -- 12, when I was on 13. So I had a 10-footer for birdie there, and I made it. And I kind of had rejuvenated energy there thinking: I'm not way out of this, I think, I'm tied for the lead. All you have to do is play solid. And the last couple holes were downwind; there was some birdies to be made there. And I just hung in there and gutted it out.

STEWART CINK: 14, well, I guess when you're putting downhill towards the lake, you tend to think it's going to be a little fast, and you definitely don't want to hit too hard. I just left it about five feet from the hole there short, thinking I was going to see a little bit more speed on the putt. And the second putt really wasn't the worst one of the day. It never really had a chance to go in. It was like I was playing "don't pull this one." I just didn't hit a very good putt there and deserved that.

STEWART CINK: I thought I'd -- at that point, I thought I just have to work a little harder now. I told my caddie, "Let's get four birdies on the way in." There was four holes left. I knew the pin position on 15 was set up for birdie. 16 was short. 17 was the only place you could make a real mistake. And 18 was straight downwind. I was proud of myself the way I hit the ball into the greens on the last four holes. I couldn't imagine scripting it any better.

STEWART CINK: There were some fans out there, but I don't know if they were rooting for me or Larry Mize. There were some, and I heard all of them.

STEWART CINK: Well, if you check the record, I've committed to this tournament every year, and I've had to withdraw the last minute for strange reasons. One year my wife had surgery, one year we had a child the week before, and then one year I pulled out from just being tired and didn't want to come down. And that was probably the biggest mistake I've made since I've been on Tour is pulling out that year. I've always loved the island. I played in college at Palmetto Dunes, and I really enjoy it here and I love playing after a major. I just -- the place is really special. I just wish I had played more.

STEWART CINK: I have a six-year-old that's on a soccer team. And at that age we have to ask him if he wants to come to golf tournaments anymore, and he said no, he wants to play soccer this week. So he stayed home. They lost -- but they lost. But that's okay. They don't keep score.

STEWART CINK: They were, yeah. It would have been great if they could have been here. I really miss having Lisa and the boys here, but they will be there for the next one.

STEWART CINK: Well, I don't know. Every win is a different animal, you know. I think that brings my total of wins in the pros up to about 10 now, counting all of them. And every one feels so -- so good. And I think this one feels better than all the others. And the one before this one felt better than all the others. And the one before that one felt better. They just keep getting better. This one, I'll never forget the way I finished the golf course. I birdied three of the last four holes and came back from some mistakes, and I was really proud of that. Knowing I had to make a par on the last hole to win the golf tournament, hit it stiff and make birdie is something I'll remember the next time I'm in the hunt.

STEWART CINK: I don't beat myself up for it. I think maybe I could have won more by now, yes; but I definitely don't beat myself for it. It's hard enough out here, you know. The guys are so good. They are beating up on me every week. Why would I beat up on myself? No, I definitely don't beat up on myself. I think I have had some chances to win where I didn't, not because I lost the tournament maybe. In fact, I don't remember -- well, last year in Atlanta, I did kind of lose a tournament there. I would have been in a playoff if I had just played decent golf in the end. But I don't beat myself up over that.

STEWART CINK: I knew I had an outside chance, but I didn't expect a 74 from Ernie. But that's why I'm a pro and all these other guys are pro, because we have to go out and play like the leader is going to shoot 74, because you never know who is going to just jump up and grab it. I don't know what Tom shot, but it was pretty low. Those kind of rounds put pressure on everybody at the top, I don't care who it is. Not to say that Ernie succumbed to any kind of pressure that we put on him. But it's tough when you're leading the tournament, everybody thinks you're supposed to win, and then when things don't go right, this course isn't easy.

STEWART CINK: Did I have a what?

STEWART CINK: I never really noticed the gallery following me today. I don't know if they were following me -- I know there was lots of galleries at the holes. I don't know if they were following or just stationed there. You know, I was pretty focused on what I was doing. I heard the cheers and I saw some faces, but I didn't know if they were following me. You always have the biggest galleries when you're leading or close to it, so I never really was leading the tournament until about the 16th or 17th hole today. Even then, I didn't know.

STEWART CINK: Well, I've asked myself that question many times now for the last two years, and the answer I come up with is that I have to -- I have to putt just a little bit more consistently on the Sundays when I'm close. Because I have missed a few putts, not when I was in the hunt coming down the stretch, but when I had a chance for a real high finish, I've disappointed myself a few times with putting. Just that I had chances to make putts and maybe didn't make a few, missed a couple that were makeable -- not easy, but makeable. And it's such a fine line now between the very best and the good on the PGA TOUR that you're looking for every edge you can possibly get. And that's where I see myself improving is in putting.

STEWART CINK: Well, the focusing must start Thursday. That's what you have to remember. You can't get to have a chance at the end if you don't give yourself a chance in the beginning. And I did a good job of that this week in some tough weather. Played pretty well, 3-under par through the first two days. I was happy with that. I think some guys out here have got a little complacent about playing Thursday through Friday, Thursday through Saturday, and don't really get into it until Sunday. But I think I'm going to give myself a better chance to win the tournaments if I focus on all the days and try as hard as I can the whole time.

STEWART CINK: No. I know it's confusing out there, everyone looking at me, but this little blue-and-white stripe doesn't help that much either.

STEWART CINK: No, I didn't know about that. Actually, I thought that this looks like a Davis Love outfit; and Davis plays so well here, I thought maybe I would mimic his outfits and that would help me catch some of his magic. I'm only kidding.

STEWART CINK: 3, I had a -- hit pitching wedge about 12 feet or so, and made that one. That was a good start for me to get kind of -- get the confidence flowing. Made a good par 5 on 4 from eight feet. Missed the green into the rough there. And then 6, birdie. I hit an 8-iron from the fairway to about five feet and made that one. 8, probably one of the hardest holes of the week average-wise. Hit a 6-iron around the tree from the fairway to about 12 feet and made that. And really, by then the juices were going. 9, I hit an L-wedge in there about eight feet and made that. The hole looked like a bucket. 11, I hit a good drive, but I got blocked out by some trees that overhang the left side there, and I had to play kind of a little punch under the tree and run it up the fairway. And I came over it a little bit, hit it in the rough on -- short of the green on the left side. Didn't hit a very good chip, and gave myself a 20-footer. So that was the first bogey of the day, first bogey of the weekend. It was like, gosh, bogeys -- I can make bogeys, too. The next tee I did a good job of steadying myself and righting the ship, and made par there. Next, I hit sand wedge about 10 feet above the hole, and that's where I saw the leaderboards for the first time and felt I had a good chance, and knocked that in. 14, I hit a 9-iron. The mistake there is to the right; there was water to the right. So when you're in that position, you obviously don't aim straight at the flag, so I played to the left and pulled it some, too, and ended up on the fringe about 35 feet, and had an up-and-down type thing, and left it short. That was really the worst putt of the day. If I had one to redo, that would be it. 15, drove it in the left trees. But all week I told myself that left trees are okay but right trees are dead. I hit a pretty good drive, but it just found its way into some trees, and I had to punch my second shot down the fairway. But I just punched it into a perfect yardage, which was nice. I had about 120 downwind, and it was just a perfect, full sand wedge, and I hit it to the right of the flag a little, used the slope, brought it back about six feet from the hole and made that one. 16, I hit an L-wedge in there about four feet and it looked like a foot from the fairway. 17, to me, was the hole coming in that I could make a mistake on because the tight green there and the wind left-to-right. I wish I could bottle whatever it was on that tee that inspired me to hit that shot, but it was a perfect 7-iron there, and I was very pleased in the air -- with the ball when it was in the air. And when it landed on the green there and gave myself a good chance to make birdie, I was very happy with that shot. Unfortunately, I didn't, but then at that point I knew I had to make par on the last hole to probably win, unless Ernie went birdie-birdie-birdie on the last three. And perfect 3-wood off the tee. Had 170 to the hole, straight downwind, and going on a little adrenaline; I hit a full 9-iron about 10 feet from the hole, and it was just right on the target, perfect shot, dead solid. And the putt was right in the center. I'll remember that putt.

STEWART CINK: I think it was about 108 yards, again, downwind.

STEWART CINK: About 12 feet. I really didn't hit a very good putt there either. I was hitting it like I was trying to make a par. I shouldn't have done that.

STEWART CINK: Is it The Crazy Crab over there? I ate there once about five years ago. Actually, when I was down here on Hilton Head Island playing Tear Drop, tour event before I had my card on the Nike Tour or BUY.COM TOUR, we played a golf tournament at -- the 1-over there with all the angles, played a tournament there as a mini-tour golfer. Finished like third place and made, I think $1,100. And my wife and my boys were here; I only had one child. My wife and my oldest son were here one night, we came over here and we splurged and ate at The Crazy Crab. Saw the lighthouse and went up in it and everything. I just saw the 18th hole and thought, "God, what a great looking hole." That was then.

STEWART CINK: Well, I haven't hit that many fairways this year. I've been pretty low on the fairway stats, so you would think no. But I loved it from the time I set foot on it Tuesday afternoon for my practice round. It was just very appealing strategically, a lot of options, a lot of demand out there. Course demand is a very well-placed tee shot, and I would like to think that I was smart enough to play. Now, I don't know if physically I executed well enough to win this tournament, I guess I did, but I picked out my spots pretty well this week.

STEWART CINK: Well, my kids are getting older. I think there's a good chance my wife will. I would love to have them come down every time, and I'll say that about any tournament. I think they would really enjoy this. However, it falls the week after spring break and it's really tough on us to bring them out of school and bring them down. That's going to be tougher as I get older. But I don't think she'll miss it next year.

STEWART CINK: That was '96. Yeah, that was -- may have been December of '95. It was in the winter of '95/'96. I came down here to get myself warmed up for the BUY.COM season.

STEWART CINK: A little bit. A little bit, I did. Tuesday and Wednesday were identical weather. The wind was the same direction and the greens were pretty hard and the ball was really rolling in the fairway, and we had that rain and it changed things up a lot. That might have been to my benefit a little bit because we were basically playing dart golf. The ball was not rolling on the fairway much and the greens were pretty soft. So when that happens, the golf course becomes a lot like most other courses. So the strategy issue is downplayed a little bit, but you still have to hit between those trees.

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