Cink's marvellous 2004 season continues at NEC

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2004 NEC Invitational | Wrap | 23 Aug 2004

It was meant to be a week where the stars of the game would feature. A line up that included Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson had the fans’ mouths watering at the prospect of a real showdown for the number one position in golf and a battle royal between the game’s hottest players in Woods, Singh, Els and Mickelson.

From very early on in the week in became apparent that such a scenario was not to be. Els and Singh started slowly and when Mickelson joined them in “struggle street” on day two with a second round 75, it would be up to Woods to re-establish his shaky hold on the number one position in the game.

Stewart Cink had last week received such an incredible boost to his moral when Hal Sutton named him as one of his two picks for the Ryder Cup that it was likely he would be riding on a high when he turned up at Firestone. He had not exactly needed much of a boost anyway having played brilliantly in recent weeks. After a missed cut at the Buick Classic and the following week at the US Open, Cink has been on a run of form that has seen four top tens and two top twenties on his last six starts.

Cink has played well previously at Firestone. He was 13th in 2001 and in 2000 he was 7th, his last round of 63 that year, matching his great start to this week’s event. Once he had made such a start this week, then he was always going to be a tough nut to crack here. He was never headed as he stretched his two shot opening round lead to three over Tiger Woods and Rory Sabbatini after round two, then to five over Woods, David Toms and Chris DiMarco heading into round four.

On a day where scoring was not easy, Cink made few mistakes and by the time he had reached the turn today his lead was four over Sabbatini and by five over Woods. Cink looked to be playing too well for his lead to be threatened. On another day and perhaps in another era, we could have expected a run from Tiger, but it was all he could do to just grind out a score and in the end he did marvellously well to grab a share of second with South African Sabbatini. Woods somehow managed to find a way to get it around.

The threat to Woods’ number one position in world golf had effectively been doused, at least in the immediate future. As was the case at Whistling Straits last week he showed absolute grit and determination when his status was threatened, even with a game that was well below his best. That Singh would finish 32nd, Mickelson 43rd and Els 65th was the sort of scenario on which you could have won a lot of money prior to the event.

For Sabbatini, this was his fourth top three of the year and although he has yet to win in 2004, he is having his most commercially successful season by far. The birdie three he made at the last today was followed twenty minutes later by that of Woods who would join him at seven under and ultimately four behind Cink.

Cink has taken his earnings for 2004 to US$3.6 million surpassing his previous best by US$1.5 million. His inclusion in the Ryder Cup team by Hal Sutton now looks to be an inspired choice.

Angel Cabrera and Davis Love III shared fourth with perhaps surprisingly Love recording his 8th top ten of the season. I say surprisingly, as he seems to have been quiet of late. A closer look at his form tells a different story however.

Of the Australians Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby continued their recent good form with a share of 9th, Rod Pampling, increasing his bank balance every week was 14th, Stephen Leaney was 22nd, reversing some rather ordinary recent form, Brett Rumford produced a good weekend to finish 27th, Peter Lonard recorded one of the best rounds of the day (67) for 32nd, Adam Scott disappointed when 55th and Craig Parry, Mark Hensby and Peter Senior picked up cheques which would have more than covered expenses but not perhaps what they were hoping for.

The PGA Tour now heads to Connecticut for the Buick Championship while many here will be in Germany this coming week for the European Tour’s BMW International.