Starting the final round one behind, Cink wasted little time shifting the tournament in his favor, turning a tight leaderboard into a dominant performance with a late-burst stretch that showcased control and precision. His momentum was jump-started by an eagle on the par-5 seventh, followed by consecutive birdies to close the front nine.
That charge intensified at the 11th, where Cink faced a lengthy uphill birdie putt and rolled in a 35-foot tiebreaker that helped him open a decisive lead. By the back nine, the suspense had largely faded as he continued to apply pressure with additional birdies.
“I today was just one of the best rounds I’ve played as a professional golfer,” Cink said. “It was just really good.” He added that he had refined his approach on the greens, noting, “I just kind of went back to a few basics and changed my philosophy on reading the greens just a hair… added some break today, actually.”
In the closing stages, Cink maintained the margin with steady scoring, including a birdie at the 13th and another at the 14th. The field struggled to mount a challenge, with overnight leader Keith Horne’s double bogey on 12th proving pivotal and others like Scott Hend and Steve Allan finishing tied for third.
Ben Crane finished solo second, while Cink’s performance kept him atop the leaderboard as he closed at 19-under, narrowly missing the championship record relative to par. The win adds to a remarkable start to his senior career, highlighted by three victories this season and a run of consistently high finishes. “To win a tournament like this, back to four rounds on a golf course like this, full field — this trophy is so heavy can hardly pick it up — it feels great,” Cink said, underscoring the validation of his ongoing transition to the PGA Tour Champions.
