Stewart Cink’s long drives help him win his first Hoag Classic title
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Stewart Cink’s wife Lisa was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in 2016.
A decade later, her health is now stable. But playing in a tournament with a healthcare provider, Hoag, as the title sponsor means just a bit more for the professional golfer.
“The medical side of life has affected our family personally because of my wife, so it just means a lot that a hospital system like Hoag would get behind golf,” Cink said. “In turn, golf kind of gets behind it ... Golf is an amazing sport in that it’s incredibly charitable, and we’re all very proud to be a part of that.”
Cink, who took a two-stroke lead into the final day of the Hoag Classic after recording a walk-off albatross on No. 18 on Saturday, was less charitable in yielding control of the top spot on the leaderboard. He never trailed on Sunday, finishing with a three-round total of 19 under par to win the tournament by four strokes.
Cink, 52, captured his first Hoag Classic title and sixth PGA Tour Champions win.
Zach Johnson and two-time Hoag Classic winner Ernie Els tied for second at 15-under. Charlie Wi, Brian Gay and Freddie Jacobson were tied for fifth (-14), with Retief Goosen, Bernhard Langer and Steven Alker tied for seventh (-13).
Cink was able to consistently drive the ball well, putting him in favorable positions. His driving average of 298 yards for the tournament ranked him second among all golfers competing.
Despite the course’s relatively short length — less than 7,000 yards — Cink said that Newport Beach Country Club rewards length more than any other course on the Champions Tour. He tied for second at last year’s Hoag Classic won by Miguel Ángel Jiménez.
“I feel like I’m playing better and have more control over my ball than I’ve ever had,” said Cink, who won $330,000 for finishing in first. “When I was even in the top 10 in the world rankings for a long time, I didn’t ever drive it like I’ve driven it the last six, seven months ... I was always kind of like, ‘Oh boy, where’s this one going,’ but not right now.”
Jacobson, playing in Cink’s group, earned three birdies in a row for the second straight day to pull into a tie for the lead at 15-under. This time, Jacobson’s streak came early in the round, from Nos. 2 to 4.
But the Swedish pro was hurt by a double-bogey 5 on No. 8, as he couldn’t make an 8-foot bogey putt. The double dropped him from a tie from the lead to two shots back.
Cink, last year’s Charles Schwab Cup winner who leads this year’s standings as well, went on to birdie No. 9. He was suddenly back to a three-shot lead.
From there on, Cink was in control. Wi put on a final-day charge, and had an eagle putt on the par-five No. 15 that would have put him just a stroke back. But it lipped out, and he settled for a birdie.
After he won the tournament Sunday, someone asked Cink if he earned his doctorate in becoming “Dr. Albatross” this week. He was presented with his “Doctor of Golf” white jacket after winning the title.
“Depends if the only test is if you make an albatross,” Cink replied with a smile, adding that Saturday’s double eagle, just the second in tournament history, was one of the coolest moments he’d been part of in golf. “Then, yeah, I passed it.”
Els birdied No. 18 in achieving his final-round score of 67. He said he tried a new driver this week and missed some putts that could have put pressure on Cink, but he knew the Georgia native was in his element in Newport Beach.
“Anybody that can hit it far, you’re going to have fun here,” Els said. “[Cink] and Pádraig [Harrington] are our two longest hitters. You saw that [Saturday] with that beautiful 6-iron he played. Those par-fives are really par-fours for him. He’s stayed steady. He’s a force out here right now.”
Though Els fell a bit short in his quest to become the first player to win three Hoag Classic titles, the South African enjoyed coming back to what he said is one of the top tournaments on tour.
“Wonderful crowd,” he said. “Well educated for golf, too. They like to have a good time. It’s a great place to play golf.”
Langer, who was the featured guest on Tuesday at the Hoag Classic Hall of Fame Community Breakfast, shot a final round 66. The 68-year-old shot his age or better in each of the tournament’s three rounds.
“It’s definitely an achievement,” Langer said. “Like, when I signed my card and she said ‘66,’ I said, ‘Yeah, I beat my age three times … this week. That’s something not a lot of people do, so it’s pretty cool. And it gets easier the older I get.”
