PNC Championship

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Orlando, Florida, USA

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club

Stewart Cink

Reagan Cink

Press Conference


STEWART CINK: Going backwards from 18, it was a good finish. We kind of hit a little bit of a stall on 16 and 17, and we definitely did not want to finish with three state pars.

18 is not playing the easiest today because it's into the wind, because it's still a pretty gettable hole. We had like a really horrendous start and we didn't do anything through the first three holes, and we were even par. I just looked at the board and we were literally the last place team, I guess the Prices and us, the last place team through the first three holes, and it was bleak. We turned it around pretty nicely.

I think the long putt on 4 really took the lid off, the first few holes, I mentioned to him that it looked like Henrik Lundqvist was in front of the hole we were trying to putt; balls were being shed everywhere. And he makes a long one on 4, and I made a longer one on 5 for eagle, and seemed like after that the hole, it was accepting our putts, and we made a lot of nice putts in a row there for about 11 holes.

Q. Is this more fun than caddying?

REAGAN CINK: There's a little bit lower stakes I guess because of money and all that. But being able to really contribute and hit shots, it's so much fun, and I was so much more nervous today than I have been in any tournament I've caddied in, not even close.

STEWART CINK: That's his way of trying to lobby for a raise.

Q. Are you nervous at all in this format?

STEWART CINK: No, definitely nervous. The first few holes, you want to get off to a good start and it's great to feel that ask to learn your tendencies, whether it's the Masters or the PNC. You just have to learn how to handle those kind of feelings and sure I was a little bit nervous, too. First hole Reagan (indiscernible/audio skip) fed the tees a little bit off the tee and I have to hit a ball, and all of a sudden it's like a shot that really matters and you feel it.

Q. What tees are you playing from?

REAGAN CINK: Back tees.

Q. How does that work? Reagan?

STEWART CINK: I think it's age related. He's basically an adult because he can play from the back tees. The young kids and older folks --

Q. How long have y'all had the belt buckles?

REAGAN CINK: We got these one time playing in this tournament.

STEWART CINK: Lisa got these just for this tournament. But it wasn't the first time when I played when Connor and I won, it was later on. Maybe we used them probably three or four times.

Q. How often do you wear them during the year?

STEWART CINK: If I get in this tournament I wear them one time. If I don't, I don't wear them. Your name on your belt buckle or anywhere on your clothing just doesn't feel right to me, unless you're Tiger Woods.

Q. Tiger was talking yesterday about not giving Charlie advice and waiting for Charlie to ask. Is it similar for you guys; is it if he approaches you?

STEWART CINK: I ask a lot and he asks me a lot. It's the same exact way when he caddies and when we play at home. We don't change anything. We constantly talk about where to aim and what the wind is doing. We just work things out together like we are one person every day.

REAGAN CINK: If there's one thing he doesn't do, it's over-coach. Never.

Q. I apologize if I've asked you this before, but what kind of relationship do you have and influence do you think you've had on Sungjae Im?

STEWART CINK: Our relationship is really cool. It's not one that shares language. I use Google Translate to communicate with him occasionally about things, and he understands if he talk about things like golf and travel, the main subjects that we all experience.

Q. Sky Club.

STEWART CINK: We have a really good relationship, and actually Reagan and him have an even better relationship because they are more peers.

But it's cool to have Sungjae around town when we are at home and we try to play practice rounds together a lot. It's hard to get to understand someone when you have a language barrier because that's a key part of the relationship but we have gotten around it, and I guess golf is another way you can share things, and I'm in constant awe of Sungjae's abilities and how consistent and how hard of a worker he is.

But he probably sees me as a person that he can maybe learn a little bit about some advice or whatever, things I've learned good and bad over the years. So I'm honored to be that way for anybody and play that role but for Sungjae, of course, I treasure that relationship.

Q. How often do you see him? What do you talk about?

REAGAN CINK: Mostly golf. That's pretty much it. We talk about the surrounding things of the PGA TOUR life, like he said, traveling and all that. We'll play golf sometimes at home in Atlanta. We just really enjoy each other's company. Every time we see each other, whether it's across the practice green or in a different way, we kind of give each other the little cute waive and all that. He's just a really nice kid. I like spending time with him and he think he shares that with me, too.

Q. I heard the caddying is going to go on one more year?

STEWART CINK: Originally it was to do one tournament but it was the Safeway Open and that plan quickly expanded into further into the year. And then it looked -- we kind of planned because he got married in July, to stop at THE TOUR Championship. It's just not a good way it start a marriage, for him on the road and for her working at home. Then she decided to take her job part time and be able to travel more with us. It was up to them.

We weren't going to stand in the way of him saying, I want to keep going and Olivia is going to start traveling. We're not going to stand in the way. I wouldn't have it any other way. We're having a blast.

Q. So is the answer one more year?

REAGAN CINK: That's the plan.

STEWART CINK: We said that last year, and I don't want to be the boy that cried wolf. We said one more year, and it's going past that.

Q. So indefinitely?

STEWART CINK: I guess.

Q. (Did you take anything from the win with Connor and is there any family pressure to win this event?)

STEWART CINK: They are different kind of golfers, I don't think there's anything I can do. They will handle things how they want to, and it's not completely up to them whether we end up competing at the end of this tournament tomorrow or not. It's a lot of my job, too. So as far as, I'll let him answer the part about the family pressure.

REAGAN CINK: I really want to win this tournament. Connor does not play very much golf. He happens to be a really good putter. He holds it over me. I beat him every time we play golf together, and he has won this tournament and I have not.

So, yeah, I really want to win this tournament.

STEWART CINK: We're pretty excited to be playing here, competing.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
115521-2-1001 2021-12-19 22:52:00 GMT

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