(Photo credit score: Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK by way of Imagn Images)
Stewart Cink, the 2025 PGA Tour Champions Player of the Year, opened the brand new season with three-shot victory on Saturday on the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii.
Cink carded a bogey-free spherical of 8-under-par 64 to complete at 23-under 193 within the three-round occasion at Hualalai Golf Course.
‘I wished to return out right here this yr and begin scorching and never work my means into the season,’ stated Cink, 52. ‘I’m not going to play for nearly two months now, so it actually meant so much to return out right here and play nicely. You must make lots of birdies, and typically the primary match of the yr just isn’t the simplest place to make lots of birdies, however I used to be capable of this week. Played actually strong and I’m very happy.’
Argentina’s Angel Cabrera adopted his 62 on Friday with a 6-under 66 on Saturday to complete alone in second at 20 below. South Africa’s Retief Goosen (64) moved up eight spots to put third at 18 below.
Cink birdied Nos. 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, 14, 15 and 16. He stated a par save on the par-3 No. 8 stored his momentum after lacking a birdie putt on No. 7.
‘It’s not terrible, however it seems a bit of bit like a bogey,’ Cink stated of his par on the par-5 No. 7. ‘To have an 11-, 12-footer for par there (on No. 8) and to can that one, that gave me lots of momentum, lots of perception and belief and I rode that each one the way in which.’
Cink was an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, together with The Open Championship in 2009. He has received 5 instances in 37 occasions performed on the PGA Tour Champions — three tournaments in 2025, together with the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
He completed the match first in complete birdies (23), tied for first with Cabrera in common driving distance (312.20 yards) and second in longest drive (340 yards) to Cabrera’s 362-yarder. Cink additionally tied for second in scrambling (10 of 11, 90.9%).
The long-driving Cabrera recovered from a bogey on the par-4 first gap with birdies at Nos. 3, 4 and seven for 2-under 34 on the entrance 9. He wanted to shave extra strokes in pursuit of Cink, the second-round co-leader, and eagled the par-5 No. 10. Back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13-14 have been adopted by pars on the final 4 holes.
Second-round co-leader Freddie Jacobson of Sweden shot 2-under 70 to complete tied for fourth at 17 below. First-round chief Stephen Ames of Canada shot 72 and tied for ninth at 14 below.
–Field Level Media