Bests Miguel Angel Jimenez in playoff
Another week, another win for PGA Tour Champions best player Stewart Cink, who has been absolutely dominant on the senior curcuit this season..
Only this time, Stewart Cink didn’t have his best stuff until the final round at the Boeing Classic. But a final-round 65 got him into a playoff with Miguel Angel Jimenez at 12-under 204, and a first-hole playoff birdie allowed the former Florence resident to hoist a championship trophy for a Tour-leading fifth time this season.
“Today was a really good day, but the first two days were kind of sloppy,” Cink said after reaching the par-5 No. 18 in two and two-putting for the winning birdie. “I don’t really want to come out here and be anything other than excellent. I’m not saying I want to play great every da – that’s not going to happen, but there’s a difference between not putting up a great score and not being excellent. I wasn’t excellent here the first couple days. Kind of kicked it into gear today, was a little bit more myself.”
Cink began the final round in a logjam at 5-under and four shots off Steven Alker’s lead. But Alker could do no better than 1-under 71 in the final round, giving Cink and the pack an opening to catch him. Which he and Jimenez, who shot 8-under 28 on the final nine, did to force a playoff.
“Just kind of detached from the results and a lot of times that just turns into some magic,” said Cink, who’s 65 included nines of 33-32. “I know Miguel shot 28 on the back nine, that’s quite a bit of magic, but I had a little bit of magic too and it felt really good to compete again.”The Open was a turning point
Since winning his fourth tournament, Cink said he lost some of that early season’s magic. But he found something while playing at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale England and later at the Portugal Open.
Stewart Cink: Fixing something that ‘leaked into my swing’
“I played some of the best golf of my career from about last three or four tournaments of 2025 through around May this year,” he said. “I had the kind of command that I just didn’t have really at any other point in my playing career. I took some time off and when I came back to start practicing again before the U.S. Senior Open at Scioto, I just was struggling to find it.”
Cink said “Some stuff had leaked into my swing that was just, it was unintentional.” But his team of John John Scott Rattan and James Sieckmann and caddie Chris (Jones got to work to get him back on track.
“I had a hard time getting it out. It caused us to kind of rework a little bit. I played at the (British) Senior Open at Gleneagles and at Portugal with quite a new swing thought. That’s just not comfortable to do and when you put it under the gun like that, but I had some good results and I built on it.”
Cink, who pocketed $345,000 for the Boeing win, said he is comfortable with his swing going forward.
“I can go ahead and continue thinking about some of the core tenets that I hold on to every swing,” he said. “I try to keep it pretty simple. It’s not simple in practice. When I go to the golf course, I keep it very simple and athletic. It’s a good feeling to come to a tournament like this where you’ve got some trouble around here.”
With Jimenez in the clubhouse at 12-under, Cink nearly holed his tee shot on the par-3 17th hole, and that birdie propeled him into a tie for the lead. Although he failed to birdie No. 18 for the win, he was still in the playoff.
Winning was a measure of revenge for a near-miss at this event in 2025. Cink came to the 18th hole last year but failed to make a birdie to at least get into a playoff.
“Last year actually really stung because I felt like I played well enough to win,” he said. “I didn’t play that well on Sunday, and from where I drove it on 18, just didn’t take advantage of really being in a strong position to make a birdie and win, or tie at least, get into a playoff. So, I felt like I had a little bit of a score to settle in my heart coming in here, to be honest.”
Stewart Cink wiped away those demons Sunday, and after a break from the Tour, he’ll return eyeing a repeat of his 2025Charles Schwab title.
Featured image of Stewart Cink courtesy of Golf Channek
Gregg Dewalt is the editor of Alabama Golf News
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