THE FLATS – It’s been 15 years since Stewart Cink won The Open Championship … Andy Ogletree makes his Open debut after missing out in 2020 … Christo Lamprecht and Richy Werenski enjoy big weekends on the Korn Ferry Tour … More details below in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.
CINK RECALLS 2009 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Fifteen years ago, Stewart Cink, one of the most affable, kind and sincere humans, let alone golfers, became one of sport’s biggest villains for defeating sentimental favorite Tom Watson in a playoff at Turnberry to win the British Open and be crowned Champion Golfer of the Year. Virtually everyone but Cink’s immediate family was rooting for the 59-year-old eight-time major champion to have one more moment of glory. Cink was a James Bond villain except he succeeded in making the kill.
Cink, three behind with a round to go, birdied the final hole from 16 feet before Watson bogeyed it to fall into a tie. The former then dominated the four-hole play-off, winning it by six strokes, for the high point of a career which has brought five Ryder Cup caps, most recently in 2010, and four winning Presidents Cup appearances.
Fifteen years later, he still hears about it all the time. During an interview in Detroit at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he told a local interviewer, “More often than not, people are saying why did you have to beat Tom Watson, my favorite golfer. To me it feels like it was yesterday, I know it was a lot longer than yesterday, and it’s a pretty fresh memory in people’s mind too.”
Cink, 51, is still battling to play with the big boys while dipping in from time to time to play the senior circuit. He took a stroll down memory lane last month from seat 3B of his Delta Airlines flight home to Atlanta from Buffalo after competing in the RBC Canadian Open and trying to qualify for the U.S. Open in Final Qualifying.
Stewart Cink British Open Q&A: The 2009 champ recalls Tom Watson’s big mistake and more https://t.co/MLL9S8cHbP pic.twitter.com/DTTmFV9qXX
— Golfweek (@golfweek) July 15, 2024
OGLETREE MAKES OPEN DEBUT AFTER GIVING UP EXEMPTION IN 2020
The winner of the 2019 US Amateur title and part of the victorious Walker Cup team at Royal Liverpool shortly afterwards, Andy Ogletree was the low amateur in finishing joint 34th at The Masters the following April, but by turning professional in the wake of that he lost his Open exemption.
He now makes his debut in the Championship off the Federation Ranking list at the end of May, a new category offering five spots at Royal Troon. He had hip surgery in 2021, but the following season joined LIV Golf, which gave him access to the Asian Tour’s international series of events.
Ogletree won by four strokes in Egypt with a closing 62, then last year added further victories by three in Qatar and by seven over Ian Poulter at Close House in Northumberland. It made him their Order of Merit champion and Asian Tour Player of the Year. He made his PGA Championship debut this May.
Good luck to @HyFlyers_GC’s @PhilMickelson and @andy_ogletree in the 152nd Open Championship. This year, the event returns to Royal Troon in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland and runs through Sunday, July 21. pic.twitter.com/4yQlc1A5wd
— Bunkers in Baghdad (@bunkerstweets) July 15, 2024
WERENSKI STRADDLING LINE BETWEEN PGA TOUR, KORN FERRY TOUR
PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour winner Richy Werenski opened in 9-under 63 to tie the 18-hole tournament scoring record and TPC Colorado course record at The Ascendant presented by Blue. This is the first 18-hole lead/co-lead in a Korn Ferry Tour event.
Werenski withdrew from the PGA Tour’s ISCO Championship to compete in The Ascendant, and is currently No. 50 in the Korn Ferry Tour standings after tying for 13th place. He has conditional status on the PGA Tour after finishing No. 158 in the FedEx Cup fall standings in 2023.
“It was a tough decision,” said Werenski on the decision to play The Ascendant instead of the ISCO Championship. “I played last week at John Deere (Classic) and I was just thinking about all week, what I was going to do the rest of the year because I was in Kentucky (ISCO Championship) and Barracuda (Championship), so kind of just figured I’d probably be kicking myself if I didn’t play out here. I’ve got a good chance to get a card this year.”
Werenski on playing both the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour this season: “It’s a pretty bad spot to be. It’s hard because you don’t know if you’re going to get in out on the big tour and if you do, it’s last minute and then you’ve got to make a decision. It’s like it almost would be easier if I had no status on that tour and I just knew I had to play out here. It’s new for me. It’s the first time I’ve ever had to deal with it. There’s always guys who deal with this. For me it’s been tough, but I just kind of made the decision I’m going to stick it out out here and give it my all out on this tour.”
#PROJACKETS
Our @werenskir opens round 2 today on top of the leaderboard at The Ascendant https://t.co/fP20ZnIegO— Georgia Tech Golf (@GTGolf) July 12, 2024
CINK DISAPPOINTED IN NOT BEING NAMED RYDER CUP CAPTAIN
During Tuesday’s press conference to introduce Keegan Bradley as next year’s U.S. Ryder Cup captain, PGA of America President John Lindert described a streamlined and relatively quick selection process.
“Came to a pretty quick decision,” Lindert said before calling Bradley a “slam dunk” candidate from an unspecified list of potential captains.
One of the names thought to be on that list was Stewart Cink, a five-time Ryder Cup player and a vice captain at last year’s matches for Zach Johnson in Rome.
“I’m disappointed that I wasn’t chosen to be the captain, of course. I was really hoping to be in that role,” Cink said Tuesday at the Genesis Scottish Open. “I love the United States and I love the players. I have so much respect for the players and the Ryder Cup, and Keegan has great energy and he’s playing great. He’ll do a really good job. I know he wants a team win and his roots being there in New England, he’ll be a great captain.”
“I’m disappointed that I wasn’t chosen to be the captain of course. I was really hoping to be in that role.”
Stewart Cink reacts to Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup selection with @RexHoggardGC. pic.twitter.com/WSZhdOaySi
— Golf Today (@GCGolfToday) July 9, 2024
