This is the interview Shoals Magazine did with Stewart Cink in Fall of 1997 of his rookie year. Stewart went on to win the 1997 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award.

• S.M.: Stewart, how old were you when you picked up your first golf club?
  
  Stewart Cink: To be honest I was too little to remember it.
  

  ---

• S.M.: When did you make the decision to pursue golf professionally?
  
  Stewart Cink: I went to Georgia Tech after I graduated Bradshaw to get a degree and play college golf and it was my sophomore year at Tech when I decided to pursue golf as a career.
  

  ---

• S.M.: If you wouldn't have chosen golf to pursue as a career, what other profession do you believe you would have pursued?
  
  Stewart Cink: I would have applied myself towards management in production marketing.
  

  ---

• S.M.: What is the biggest difference between college golf and the Nike tour and the Nike Tour compared to the PGA?
  
  Stewart Cink: College golf is competitive, but you have some golfers who are noticeably better than others. When you get on the Nike Tour the depth of field becomes stronger and more competitive. When you get to the PGA you're competing against the best golfers in the world every week. The most dramatic difference in each case would be the depth of the field.
  

  ---

• S.M.: Since you've been on the PGA Tour, which golf course do you think is the most difficult to play?
  
  Stewart Cink: The majors without a doubt would be the most difficult to play, but outside the majors it would be Firestone C.C. Akron OH.
  

  ---

• S.M.: Are there any players you played against in college or on the Nike Tour that you recognize on the PGA Tour?
  
  Stewart Cink: There are many... a few dozen or so, but the most successful ones are Justin Leonard, David Duval, Phil Michelson and Tiger Woods.
  

  ---

• S.M.: Do you find that the players you are paired with like to talk in between shots or do they keep to themselves and which to you prefer?
  
  Stewart Cink: I prefer to chat a little bit and most players do talk some in the round.
  

  ---

• S.M.: Are there any specific golfers, if you had a chance, you would like to be paired with during a tournament?
  
  Stewart Cink: I enjoy being paired with any of the players I know from the Nike Tour or any player I know from when I played at Georgia Tech. I also like to play with Jay Haas, Curtis Strange, Nike Price, Steve Elkington, and Davis Love.
  

  ---

• S.M.: What do you think is the best part of your game and which part do you think you need to work on the most?
  
  Stewart Cink: The short game is the best part of my game, it helps me to recover from a bad shot, plus it helps me to score. The part I need to work the most on is driving and playing par 5's more consistently.
  

  ---

• S.M.: What was it like playing golf with Jack Nicklaus and did he give you any tips while you were playing?
  
  Stewart Cink: Jack Nicklaus is a pleasure to play with. He advised me more on off-course topics that I will keep personal.
  

  ---

• S.M.: You've won several awards and tournaments in your years of playing golf, which are you the most proud of?
  
  Stewart Cink: I would have to say so far it is the Jack Nacklaus and Haskins Awards which I won in college while I was playing at Georgia Tech and being chosen the Nike Tour Player of the Year.
  

  ---

• S.M.: Who's your all time favorite golfer?
  
  Stewart Cink: It would have to be Bobby Jones and Tom Kite.
  

  ---

• S.M.: Which tournament would you like to win the most and why?
  
  Stewart Cink: The US Open - I believe it identifies the one who did everything better that the rest of the field for 72 holes and it's the Championship of the Greatest Nation on this earth!
  

  ---

• S.M.: Thanks Stewart for talking with Shoals Magazine and good luck in 1998!

  
  Stewart Cinks Statistics
  
  http://www.pgatour.com/players/02/02/29/ 
   
   
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Cink
  
  

   

  Next Page