(Photo credit score: Mike Cardew / USA TODAY NETWORK through Imagn Images)
A day after he walked off the golf course flexing following an albatross that gave him the lead, Stewart Cink performed one other stellar spherical on Sunday to shut out a victory on the Hoag Classic at Newport Beach (Calif.) Country Club.
In carding a 5-under-par 66, Cink completed at 19-under 194 for the occasion, 4 strokes away from the remainder of the sector, for his second win of the season.
‘I really feel like I’m taking part in higher and have extra management over my ball than I’ve ever had ever,’ Cink stated. ‘When I used to be even within the high 10 on this planet rankings for a very long time, I did not ever drive it like I’ve pushed it the final six, seven months.’
To wit, Cink is off to a formidable begin in 2026, following up his win on the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai with a second-place end on the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational earlier this month.
Every week in the past, Cink completed in a tie for sixth on the Cologuard Classic, and now he is a winner once more, for the sixth time on the Champions Tour.
‘It’s far more than simply confidence,’ Cink stated. ‘I’ve labored my tail off to attempt to get there and realized about what my swing does, my physique, the dynamics, the psychology, the tools, the whole lot. I’ve left no stone unturned.’
The 52-year-old eased into his day with a constant entrance 9, going bogey-free whereas pocketing a pair of birdies.
After one other par on the tenth, Cink’s day obtained a bit of extra attention-grabbing over the following 5 holes. Cink went birdie, bogey, par, birdie, birdie to finally create extra space on his competitors.
‘I used to be very conscious of the place I stood,’ Cink stated. ‘But I did not have to alter something as a result of I obtained sufficient of a lead the place I simply caught to the sport plan that we had. I did not change something on 17, something on 18, 15. I executed among the better of my life actually on these holes.’
He completed his day with a birdie on No. 18, the place he supplied the fireworks on Saturday.
‘That was an superior second to complete it, end the spherical,’ he stated. ‘I performed nice that spherical after which growth, to do this proper there, that was one of many coolest moments I’ve ever been part of in golf.’
Zach Johnson shot a 6-under 65 to complete in a tie for second at 15 underneath with South Africa’s Ernie Els (67).
‘I believe Stewart was only a bit too distant,’ Els stated. ‘But I had a extremely good week.’
Rounding out the highest 5 have been three golfers who tied for fourth at 14 underneath: Charlie Wi (66), Brian Gay (67) and Sweden’s Freddie Jacobson (69).
Reigning champion Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain landed in a tie for tenth at 12 underneath after taking pictures a 67. Day 1 chief Paul Goydos shot a 69 to complete at 8 underneath, tied for twenty fourth.
–Field Level Media