U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 27, 2025

Stewart Cink

The Broadmoor (East Course)

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: Stewart Cink, 4-under 66. You really took advantage of your back nine, the front nine. Talk about that stretch of holes.

STEWART CINK: Well, I sensed that Padraig was starting to separate himself from all of us, especially me. I was like six back of him or five back. I didn't want to be that far back.

Nothing really that I can put a finger on. I just kept doing the same things I was doing and keeping the ball mostly in play, and if I was out of play, I was just in the rough. I never was in a lot of trouble.

Then a couple putts went in, hit one close, two-putted a par-5 -- two par-5s, and you look back and an hour and a half later you've got five birdies in the last seven holes or something.

It was not like I dug deep and found anything. I just kept doing the same thing and patience was rewarded.

Q. Talk about playing with Padraig. Obviously you're both longer hitters, but there's a familiarity there.

STEWART CINK: Yeah, we've played together so many times. I would be shocked if there's anybody I've played more golf with in major championships than Padraig Harrington over my career, and it's probably by double the next guy. I just get paired with him all the time. This goes way back 20, 25 years.

I've always respected his game, and we're very good friends with their family. It's a comfortable pairing. I love watching him play. I would hope that he probably feels similarly about me. We have mutual respect for each other. He's a world class player and he's been doing it a long time. I would love it if we could go the distance here.

Q. Yesterday it was 17 out of 18. Today you hit every green. You probably didn't know that, did you?

STEWART CINK: Well, you're not the first one to tell me. I did know.

Q. It's not like it takes a lot of analytics to figure out that's winning golf anywhere, but what's going on with your game that's working, and what are the advantages of always having at least a birdie putt, even here?

STEWART CINK: Well, it's a stat that shouldn't be, like, overvalued because these greens are pretty large and they're fairly receptive right now. They're just not that hard to hit, to be fair.

I have hit some pretty average shots that have ended up on the green, and that counts just as much as hitting it to two feet.

Q. I'm not playing any better or worse than I have for the last several months, but it's just this course just gives you a lot of greens hit because -- I've kept it in play off the tee, and when I say in play, I don't mean I've hit every fairway, but I haven't been, like, in dead zones off the tee. I've been in the rough, or I've been in the fairway.

Just managed myself pretty well into the greens, and using my experience, I guess, just to play underneath the holes when possible and away from -- you don't want to be chipping downhill on this course. It's not a secret.

When you're in the rough, you've got to play for where you're going to either hit the green or not be chipping downhill. That's turned into a lot of hit greens and a lot of, sadly, 40, 50, 60-foot putts.

Q. 7, 8, 9 coming down the stretch, when did the weather creep into your mind, and how much did that affect, especially on 9, trying to get done before the horn?

STEWART CINK: Yeah, we could see that storm, just a little wispy cloud that turned gray, and then we started hearing rumbles of thunder and got our umbrellas out. It all happens so fast around here. You could see it came from the exact same place that it came in the practice days, the exact spot. We knew it was trouble.

I don't remember exactly when it was noticeable, but I want to say the last three holes maybe we were like, oh, boy, we're going to be close here. Then certainly walking up to 9, I had a long putt, and it actually crossed my mind to quit hit it and just go ahead and get finished because I thought maybe a three-putt there wouldn't hurt as much as having to wait around in terms of energy.

There's no stat for strokes gained rest, but I actually did consider let's just get it over with and get to the van. I felt a little bit better and decided to go ahead and focus on the putt. Yeah, I'm only partly joking.

Q. You mentioned having so much experience playing with Padraig. Do you feel like at this point you're implicitly pushing each other when you're playing? Any memories that stand out from the time these last 20 years of actually playing together?

STEWART CINK: Not really any specific memories where we battled it out down the stretch that I can remember, but I think that Padraig is one of the class players here, and he probably thinks that of me. We're probably where we ought to be as far as competing for this win.

I mean, we played against each other in the Ryder Cup. That's like the pinnacle of competition. I don't even know if he got the better of me or if I got the better of him. I don't know. But all I know is I've watched him play a lot and I've listened to him talk a lot. He's just a great character, and I have just the highest respect for his game.

It's going to be fun. I feel honored to be able to go up against him, and hopefully he feels the same way.

Q. On that note, though, when you're hitting the ball really well and you're not getting separation from him, as a competitor, does it drive you crazy?

STEWART CINK: No, it doesn't drive you crazy whatsoever because I thrive on it. We love it. I love the fact that I've played -- I haven't played great these first two days. I've played pretty good golf but nothing spectacular, but I've watched him play kind of the same way. He's played very well, and he's also made some mistakes that he probably would like to have back.

Neither of us have hit our stride here, so I think this could end up -- hopefully we go, like, get a little bit better and turn the screws a little bit. I don't know what else the scores are going to do this afternoon. There's no way to know.

But I have a feeling that Harrington and I are going to be in it late.