THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Stewart Cink to the press building of the U.S. Senior Open.
STEWART CINK: The closer you get to the end of the tournament, you just know there's a result waiting. It feels like a countdown in a way. We were just neck and neck pretty much the whole way, all the way through the second half of the tournament. Today was no exception. It was back and forth. It was great shots.
There was a few not so great shots, but for the most part, we both played really well.
It was a lot of fun. It's always way more fun to be on the 18th green right now than in the Media Center. It was still a lot of fun. I was proud of myself. I hung in there great, gave myself a chance. I didn't quite hole the putts at the very end that I really needed to take that next step up.
Q. Overall, can you sort of put a cap on the week and just overall your experience at the Broadmoor and just everything over the last week?
STEWART CINK: It's been fantastic. The Broadmoor was been great to us. It's been a great place to stay. The golf course is so fun. Highly recommend the golf course to anybody who's looking for a golf trip. It was just a lot of fun out there trying to figure this place out.
The greens, I always heard before we came here that they were some of the toughest greens to negotiate. That definitely held true. The greens are very difficult to read. It's hard to commit and be decisive on what you're going to do with your putting out there. If you are anything less than 100 percent committed, it will spit you out.
Q. Can you talk about the two missed putts coming home on the last three holes and the difference? Was that the tournament for you?
STEWART CINK: For sure. Those two, the 16th and 17th holes, I think you mean. Those are two putts where the break on the green is going against that mountain. There's not a lot on this course that goes against that mountain. You have to decide which one's going to win out. You can feel it in your feet and you can see where the mountain is and you know where the valley is. It's just really, really hard to commit.
On 16, I was putting what felt like straight downhill. The ball just didn't act like a downhill putt because it was going against the mountain. On 17 everything looked and said, the balls even before me looked like they were breaking towards the front of the green, but that's where the mountain is. That ball just hung out there past the hole before it broke.
That typifies what you get here, and it's frustrating because I hit really good iron shots there to put myself in position to get up there and force Harrington to make a little bit more of a heroic finish than just pars. But it wasn't to be. I don't know, that's Broadmoor for you. I wish I could have those two putts over.
Q. What is it like to play with paddy for four rounds and duel like that? You were within a stroke or two for four rounds basically.
STEWART CINK: Yeah, he's the ultimate competitor and a quality individual. I have the highest respect for his game and for him as a person. Even though he's a peer, he's a guy I've always also looked up to because I've played with him so much and I admire the way he -- he kind of treats golf the way I want to treat golf myself. He's in the present. He never gives up. He's always got a good attitude.
That's the hallmark of a high quality player for a long time, and that's what he is.
Q. I think the last two Senior Opens here, the winner was minus 6, minus 3. What does that say about how well the two of you played to score as well as you did?
STEWART CINK: This course can really hold up to a lot of really good golfers. It's not the longest course. We adjust our shots for 10 percent out there for elevation. If you take the total yardage and adjust by 10 percent, it's only a 6,600 yard course. That's not long by standards we usually play at.
There's really no such thing as a long par-4 out there, even though the 17th hole measured 550 yesterday. It was a driver to 7-iron. It's not long. This course, it's more of a chess match in your mind than anything else because the greens are just really, really difficult to -- you can never feel like you're ahead of the game. You feel like you're behind the 8 ball on the greens almost every hole.
Q. Stewart, after Padraig made his approach on 18, did that change the way you thought about anything? During the flight, were you worried about whether you were far enough left there?
STEWART CINK: No. The first part of your question, no. I didn't change one thing about what I was trying to do because I only had a sand wedge and I needed to go at the flag because the way I set up the game plan. If I have a sand wedge with the right yardage, I'm going at the flag. I would have done that if I was one shot ahead, like he was too.
The second part of your question, as soon as it left, I knew -- as soon as it left the club, I knew it was borderline too far right. I knew I missed my spot by about three yards, and that's a major championship setup right there. You don't have a big area with which to play. I needed to be more at the flag, and I was three yards to the right.
(Horn blows).
I guess play is suspended. (Laughter).
I knew on the downslope to an uphill green, it's always a difficult shot to make contact on. It's mountain golf. I pushed that shot by about three yards right of my target, and the hill is pretty substantial right there.
Q. I know it's early, but your takeaway from this week and this weekend going forward?
STEWART CINK: Nothing really different. I feel like this is our biggest tournament on the schedule. This is the first time I've played in this one. Having played in quite a few championship events, it feels like the biggest tournament of the year. Rightfully so. The crowd energy, and the field is excellent, golf course setup, everything.
I'm proud of the way I hung in there and the way I battled. Fought all the way to the very finish. I stayed in the present and accomplished some of the goals that I always have for golf tournaments. It does nothing except solidify that my place in senior professional golf is right here at the top.
One day me and Padraig are going to flip places. I'm going to be getting the trophy, and he's going to be sitting here talking to you guys.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports