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THE BARCLAYS

August 27, 2010

Stewart Cink

PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY

Q. What's it like to get out on a traditional layout like this?
STEWART CINK: I think the players would all agree it's a lot of fun to play a course like this. And it's a rewarding course, because you get what-- you get what you get. You hit a good shot, you get rewarded by the ball being in the fairway.
If you hit a bad shot, you get punished. A lot of trees and roughs out there. The players, top to bottom, what we like the most is probably the most boring courses, because they're the ones that just give you exactly what you deserve.
I think a great example of that is East Lake. Nothing fancy there. Ridgewood is also a simple course like that, not an easy course, but as far as design it's fairly simple.

Q. It's right in front of you?
STEWART CINK: Right in front of you. No tricks. Small greens, small targets. Long holes. Some rough. If you stray it's going to be really tough. But if you hit the fairways, you can put yourself into position to make some birdies. That's why you see lower scores in the morning.

Q. More strategy on a course like as opposed to something more modern where it's more of a power game?
STEWART CINK: No, less strategy. Less strategy, because there's not a lot of cutting corners, hitting over doglegs, not a lot of -- there's some undulation on the greens but there's not places where they hide the pins away. It's not a strategic type of golf course here. It's just a solid test of your execution. And you've got to strike it well off the tee.

Q. Can you talk about the course conditions? Did it dry out as you got into the back nine?
STEWART CINK: It dried out but not to the extent that the ball's rolling any. The ball didn't pick up the mud like we thought it was going to. That had a lot of players scared. I think you saw players hovering around even par because there was some fear that the ball was going to have mud all over it.
It didn't materialize quite as bad as we thought it was going to be out there. Once everybody got comfortable and the moisture started to evaporate a little bit from the fairways, I think players got comfortable and started taking dead aim a little bit more and the greens were really smooth. Held up well all day.

Q. Do you think it will be easier now that we have nice weather throughout the weekend?
STEWART CINK: The more the course dries out it will be get a little easier because the ball will continue to pick up less mud and maybe roll forward a little bit. But the greens, the later you go in the day here, because they're soft, they do get bumpy. That's going to be an obstacle that players later this afternoon and later this weekend will have to face.

Q. Stewart, a bunch of the guys kind of in your situation in the Ryder Cup kind of watch list, for lack of a better phrase, are starting to perk up. You and Ben Crane and Zach and Tiger not technically on the team, although everybody seems to believe he's been given the nod somehow. Just how are you not thinking about it or are you thinking about it? We just had Harrington up here wearing him out on the same topic. He freely admitted it's in the fore of his brain.
STEWART CINK: It is. It's there. But we're professionals. We've got to focus on what we have to do right now. I want to play well and earn at least a shot at the team from Corey. At least maybe a consideration. But the FedExCup means a lot to me and so does this tournament.
So I feel like I'm a lot better off trying to play well here just for this tournament than I am trying to qualify for the Ryder Cup team. I said the same thing for the PGA. The same thing applied there. I'm just -- I want to do well in this tournament for a lot of reasons. And the Ryder Cup is one of them. But it's not really in the forefront of my mind.

Q. Seems like your game's kind of rounding the corner here, since you throw out that first day at the PGA, that you might be playing as well as you have this year.
STEWART CINK: Yeah, I'd say that's a fair assessment.
I feel like that, too. A lot of times what your gut tells you is sort of how you can measure yourself up and I feel that way. I feel like I've hit a lot of shots in control. Making good decisions. Making some decent saves here and there, which is really what I wasn't doing most of the year. And so it's a good time for the game to round out a little bit.
I would like to continue a good string of play here and make some noise in these playoffs.

Q. Can we go back to East Lake? Ballpark it, how many times have you played East Lake?
STEWART CINK: I've probably played it 100 times.

Q. What are your thoughts on the course finishing on the 18th hole as a par 3? And can you talk a little bit about that par 3?
STEWART CINK: I think it's a great par 3. Whether it's a great finishing hole or not, it may be debatable. But one thing I think that needs to happen there for that hole to be an exciting finishing hole is move the tees up. There's no rule in the rule book that says you have to play it from 235.
The greens the way they are now with the Bermuda grass are so firm that the front pins are inaccessible without anything more than a 6-iron.
I think the staff should consider putting the tee up to 190 on that hole and give guys a shot at the flag and it will be a little more exciting.
I've heard all kinds of theories about moving that course around and changing the 18th hole to the 10th and finishing on 17. I don't think you should monkey around with it at all. I think move the tees up a little bit. Make it more exciting.
The players feel like a good test of golf under pressure is like a good middle iron shot. Like a 6-iron or a 5-iron. And that's what that will be, from 190 to 200 yards. Really tough shot. But it gives you a chance.

Q. Do you feel if you don't get one of Corey's picks that it will be okay I didn't do enough to get on the team, fair enough or do you feel like you really could have continued something?
STEWART CINK: I think both. I really think I could contribute a lot to the team. So I definitely hope I will get on there. But at the same time if I don't get picked, you look at the guys around me, I'll name some guys without running the risk of leaving someone out, but Zach Johnson one of my best friends played well this year. Tiger Woods, I don't think I need to go into details there.
Watney's up there. Ben Crane's up there. These guys have had consistent years. They've played well. And Lucas. I mean, Lucas. It would be hard to overlook anybody. So if I don't make the team, yeah, I'll be disappointed, but I just didn't do enough. I haven't played that great this year and I know that.

Q. I think you mentioned when you said you last talked to Corey at the PGA or was it last week?
STEWART CINK: PGA.

Q. It gave you some idea of what he's probably looking for in his captains picks?
STEWART CINK: No, we all know that. We know what he's looking for.

Q. What's he looking for?
STEWART CINK: The best players.

Q. You can go experience, hottest players or hot shot rookies.
STEWART CINK: If you're looking at it like that, then, no, he hasn't given me any indication. But I've been around captains enough over my years that I know that they want the best players. And experience means something. Current form means something. And all I know is that Corey's come up to me during the year and asked me how is the game, how is life, how is everything treating you, and we have a good relationship, me and Corey.
So we chat and kind of hem and haw over a bunch of topics and this year my game has been a topic we've talked about, but not in the last month or two.

Q. You were the captain's pick the last time we were over there, right?
STEWART CINK: Yeah.

End of FastScripts

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