Cink wins five hole playoff for MCI Heritage title
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2004 MCI Heritage | Wrap | 19 Apr 2004
On the very same week in which he won last year, albeit on the Nationwide Tour, 30-year-old Ted Purdy nearly pulled off the surprise win of the season when he went five extra holes before succumbing to the more experienced Stewart Cink at the MCI Heritage Classic.
In 2003, Purdy had won the First Tee Arkansas Classic which ran opposite this event and as a result of that win and several other good performances last year he was able to graduate to the USPGA Tour for the second time. He had played the USPGA Tour in 1999 with little success and had played in Asia prior to that, being named the Asian Tour rookie of the year in 1997.
There had been two top twenties in the nine events he had played prior to this week on the 2004 PGA Tour but a result of this magnitude was, at best, unexpected. His runner up placing will have him forgetting about the concerns of playing the Nationwide Tour in 2005 as this placing and the resultant $US518,000 has taken him to safety in his quest to retain his card. He now has 2004 earnings of $US680,000.
Coming off two consecutive missed cuts and considering his inexperience at this level he would have been considered one of the absolute outsiders of the field this week but his conqueror, Cink was certainly not. Cink’s last win on the USPGA Tour had been here four years ago when playing the Heritage Classic for the first time and in the two events since he had been placed 10th on two occasions.
Coming into this week there was enough to like about the direction that Cink’s game was heading to believe that a very good week here was very much on the cards. His 8th placing at the BellSouth Classic, his 17th at Augusta and his comfort zone here at Hilton Head, indicated that he would add to his very good record at this fine golf course. His opening round of 72 was not exactly a great start but, on the test that Harbour Town offers, nobody was getting away and when he added a 69 in round two he was still not without hope. His third round of 69 seemed to leave him a lot to do with so many good players ahead but with an inexperienced leader in Ted Purdy there was a faint light glimmering to suggest that a great finish could get him close.
The big finish he was looking for was certainly aided by a hot start today where Cink was four under through five and when he reached the turn at five under for the day, he was within striking distance. Another birdie at the 10th saw him move within three of the leader who had made a solid but slow start and, perhaps feeling the pressure of leading such a significant event and the score that Cink was posting, Purdy struggled on the way in. When Purdy made bogey at the par five 15th it was all tied up with the testing closing holes still to play.
A par at the 16th was what he required, but a wayward tee shot at the par three 17th saw him needing and making a twenty footer for par to retain a share of the lead, which he made. Purdy had a chance at the 72nd hole but missed his birdie chance from ten feet and so it was back to the 18th to see who would outlast who.
Both players had chances over the first three playoff holes, more especially Cink who missed chances to win at the third playoff hole from ten feet and the fourth from ten feet again. When he got another chance at the fifth playoff hole (the 16th) he grabbed it with both hands after a brilliant second from the waste area to the left of the fairway.
For Cink his third win on tour has been some time coming after his second four years ago, but there had been the confidence sapping disaster at the final hole of the 2001 US Open where he three putted the final green to let Retief Goosen and Mark Brooks fight out the playoff the next day. It may well be that this victory goes a long way to exorcising some of those demons.
For Purdy there will be a mixture of joy and disappointment in today’s result but one thing is for sure is that he now knows he can compete against the best and over one of the US PGA Tour’s best golf courses. It will be a defining week in the ongoing career of Ted Purdy.
Patrick Sheehan, Carl Petterson and Ernie Els tied for third, two behind the playoff pair. For Sheehan. another relatively recent graduate from the Nationwide Tour. this was his best finish in close to 44 events on the USPGA Tour.
Els did well after the disappointment of last Sunday at Augusta and for Swede Pettereson, this represents his second best finish on the PGA Tour after his second place last year at the Buick Invitational.
The leading Australian was Geoff Ogilvy who once again showed a liking for this course having finished third here last year. He finished in a tie for 11th. This is Ogilvy’s fourth top twenty in his last five starts on the USPGA Tour this season.
Rod Pampling was 16th, and Scott Hend 61st after a last round 78 proved very costly.
The USPGA Tour now heads east again to the Redstone Golf Club in Houston for the Shell Houston Open.
