At the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, Stewart Cink carded an ace at the par 13th to move into contention on his Champions Tour debut, with the American just three back of Padraig Harrington.
Making his first appearance on the senior circuit, Cink didn’t even seem to realise that his ball had found the bottom of the cup, with playing partners Harrington and Katsumasa Miyamoto celebrating before the 50-year-old had even noticed!
“It was perfect,” explained Cink. “It was a tough shot today because the pin was in the back left and the wind was out of the left. So really the shot there was not to be going at the flag and I really wasn’t to be honest. I was aimed about six yards right of that flag. I just happened to kind of draw it a little bit more up against that wind and it took off on a really nice line.
“To be honest I didn’t even watch it finish. I saw, when it landed, I knew it was going to be a good shot. It looked a lot like theirs. And the people on the tee reacted as if it was a good shot. So I turned and kind of just faced them and gave a little nod and then that’s when it went in. And up by the green everyone kind of went crazy. So I didn’t get to see it because I was turned the opposite direction like a dummy. But shots like that, it came off perfect for a hole-in-one.
“It didn’t come off perfect for the shot planned, but that’s why we plan to be out to the right a little bit because from what amounts to about a 200-yard shot there, like a full 6-iron, you’re not going to be dead on your target every time. So you have to give yourself a little buffer and today that flag stick happened to be my buffer.”
Cink hands his golf ball to a fan following his ace
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Starting the third day, Cink began with two pars before an eagle on the third moved him up the leaderboard. A run of pars followed, but a bogey on the eighth seemed to stop any momentum.
The American recovered though, as a birdie at the 10th got him back to two-under for the day, with the ace moving him to four-under. Closing out his round, Cink would produce two birdies and a bogey to card a five-under 67 and sit at 13-under-par for the tournament.
“I’m three back, but it’s probably the two players (Harrington and Steve Stricker) you don’t want to be behind in this tournament, to be honest. The two guys who are probably going to fit this course the best and have the best experience and confidence over their last handful of seasons out here. I’m the new guy but…
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