Stewart Cink’s insanely hot start gave him a ‘weird’ vibe in Portugal

VILAMOURA, Portugal — These really are the golden years for Stewart Cink, who has found a new gear while soaking up the best that PGA Tour Champions life can offer. Cink has been a juggernaut over the last 18-or-so-months, winning the senior circuit’s player of the year in 2025 and then rattling off a pair of majors in the early portion of 2026.

And rather than slowing down, the 8-time PGA Tour winner seems to be ramping up. On Saturday, during the second round of the inaugural Portugal Invitational, Cink came out of the gate with four birdies and an eagle in the first five holes, leaving him at 6 under for the day before a few players had even teed off.

Advertisement

His eagle on No. 3 got the ball really rolling, but consecutive birdies on Nos. 4 and 5 even had playing partners Boo Weekley and Dickie Pride taking notice.

“I noticed no one was talking to me in the group,” he joked.

More: Ernie Els’ new course in Portugal offers dramatic backdrop for PGA Tour Champions

While Cink insists he tries to mentally prepare for all situations on a golf course, even he wasn’t sure how to handle a morning that moved so smoothly.

“I’ve never had a start like that. We’re constantly coaching ourselves with self-talk and planning for things, but you can say you’ve got to be ready to be 6 under through five and 6 over through 5. You can say that all you want, but when it really happens, it threw me just a little. It definitely put me in kind of a weird sort of vibe. I think anyone would have felt the same way,” he said. “I had a lot of forgiveness for myself. I was still hitting good shots. I had a bogey on a hole where I kind of was in an awkward spot in the fairway bunker.”

Advertisement

“For the most part, played really well and scrambled myself into the holes and hustled when I needed to. Took advantage of another short par 4 out there, made a 2 on that one on 12. You know, it was a really pleasing day all in all.”

While Cink hasn’t gone out in 6 under through five before, he has put together a run of incredible golf like never before. Although he missed the cut in his two starts with the youngsters at the PGA Championship and the Open Championship, he’s been on fire on the Champions, with only one finish outside of the top 10. He’s finished in the winner’s circle four times, has a pair of runner-up finishes and he leads the loop in total driving, driving distance and greens in regulation percentage.

He finished the round with a 64 and is tied atop a star-studded leaderboard with Padraig Harrington and Rory Sabbatini at 13 under, with Champions rookie Zach Johnson a stroke behind.

Advertisement

All this success has Cink understandably in a happy mood, although he insists the mood came first. In fact, the 53-year-old said he’s chosen a new lease on life, one that blocks out the bad and lets in the good.

“It’s less about the circumstances leading to the happiness. It’s like a choice I’m making. It’s sort of in reverse,” he said on Saturday. “I had some good play, had some not good play, but I’m choosing to be in a really happy and peaceful and grateful place and that just leads to a better Stewart Cink on the golf course.”

Portugal Invitational leaderboard (after second round)

While Cink’s driver has been phenomenal of late, his putter has been nearly as hot. He’s third in putting average, although he said he hasn’t done much differently.

Advertisement

“For me, putting boils down to commitment and trust,” he said. “I know what I’m committed to and it’s really challenging to commit to the process when the results are pulling at you. It’s hard work. So on my good days I’m able to really disengage from the results and just focus on the process and let it happen and trust and wait for the run.

“And the runs today happened. Some days they don’t.”

And will he be ready to go as low in the early stages of Sunday’s final round?

“That’s not the way golf is. You’ve got to go through the emotional battles and the difference in the variability in the wind and the hole locations,” he said. “There’s just no programmed way to go out and say this is what’s going to happen. You have to be ready for it all. Tomorrow I’m going to just try to be at my best. I know the version of myself that can play really well, I’m going to try to find that version between now and tomorrow and rekindle it. I know if I can do that, I’ll be hard to beat.”

Advertisement

Tim Schmitt is the managing editor of Golfweek.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Stewart Cink’s insanely hot start gave him a ‘weird’ vibe in Portugal