THE FLATS – Veteran PGA Tour pros Stewart Cink, David Duval and Matt Kuchar have some father/son time competing at the PNC Championship … Cink “in denial” as he approaches age 50 … Photos of Kuchar through the years … More details below in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.
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THREE VETERAN TOUR PROS REPRESENT TECH IN PNC CHAMPIONSHIP
Tiger Woods and tournament winner Vijay Singh grabbed the headlines last week in the annual PNC Championship, a two-man team event that pairs fathers and sons for 36 holes at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., but for three former Yellow Jackets who have spent many years on the PGA Tour, the chance to bring their sons to play in the tournament is special.
Stewart Cink and David Duval each have won the PNC Championship, Cink in 2013 with his older son Connor, and Duval in 2016 with his stepson Nick Karavites. Cink has also played with his younger son Reagan, who eventually became his caddie for nearly two years. Matt Kuchar has posted several top-5 finishes with older son Cameron, and his father, Peter, served as caddie over the weekend.
Kuchar and his younger son Carson (-21) finished fifth in this year’s event, while Stewart and Connor Cink finished 11th (-19) and Duval and son Brady finished 13th (-18). Team Singh’s winning score was 26-under-par.
Listen to David Duval and Matt Kuchar explain what it means to participate in this event.
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STEWART CINK ‘IN DENIAL’ AS HE APPROACHES 50
By all measures, if Stewart Cink were to never again tee it up on the PGA TOUR, the 49-year-old would rest easy knowing he amassed an impressive resume.
Propelled by three Korn Ferry Tour wins in 1996, the Alabama native would go on to amass 11 PGA TOUR titles, including the 2009 Open Championship. En route to that title at Turnberry, a 36-year-old Cink defeated 59-year-old Tom Watson in a four-hole aggregate playoff. Watson began the 138th Open Championship with 12 PGA TOUR Champions titles already under his belt.
Cink will tee it up at this week’s PNC Championship alongside son Connor in the company of several of golf’s legends, including PGA TOUR Champions stalwarts like Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer and Jim Furyk. He’ll become eligible for the 50-and-over circuit next May 21, but he isn’t letting his focus go there just yet.
Cink’s intentions are driven by the mind of a competitor still feeling strong and fine-tuned for even more TOUR success. He won twice in the 2020-21 TOUR season and intends on again contending at the game’s highest level.
“Other than having to hold the menu further away to read it these days, I’m really not feeling any older at all,” Cink said. “I would say that I feel as good as ever. I don’t feel like I’ve lost any speed with my swing. I’ve got to say that being close to hitting 50 feels great.”
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PHOTOS – MATT KUCHAR THROUGH THE YEARS
A two-time All-American at Georgia Tech, Matt Kuchar won the 1997 U.S. Amateur and the Haskins Award as the best male collegiate golfer.
Upon turning professional in 2000, he missed the deadline to sign up for Q-School and was forced to resort to sponsor exemptions for the 2001 season. Thankfully, Kuchar earned enough money to be fully exempt for the 2002 season.
Kuchar lost his PGA Tour card in 2005 after finishing 159th on the money list. After playing his way back on the PGA Tour for the 2007 season, Kuchar never looked back.
Going seven years between PGA Tour wins, Kuchar regained his form beginning with a win in 2009. A banner year was in store for Kuchar in 2010 as he won the Vardon Trophy, the Byron Nelson Award and Arnold Palmer Trophy for leading the Tour in scoring average and money earned.
See full story and photos on Golfweek.com
