Stewart Cink back at Masters to compete, not soak it up

Stewart Cink said he will definitely appreciate being back at the Masters Tournament this week for the first time since 2014.

But the 45-year-old made it clear that he’s not looking at this as his final trip around Augusta National Golf Club.

“I didn’t say I was trying to soak it in; I was saying I want to be grateful,” Cink told a reporter who asked if he plans to soak in the experience.

“I’m not going in there like a ceremonial final lap around the Masters,” said Cink, who said he is the middle of his career. “No. I want to play in like 20 more Masters ... I’m not about to retire or anything ... My goal is to compete and play well because it’s a major championship. You do kind of soak it in when you’re there. That’s not the purpose of me being there.”

Cink returns to the field after tying for fourth place at August’s PGA Championship in St. Louis, where he birdied the final two holes for 67. The top four earned invites to the 2019 Masters.

“I wasn’t even aware of it until I got to the airport,” Cink said. “The PGA’s not like a Masters qualifier, you know, it’s a major. I had more important things on my mind. I wasn’t thinking about trying to get into the Masters, I was thinking about how high can I finish in the PGA. A side benefit was that it qualified me for Augusta, which was really great.”

Cink, whose best Masters finish was a third in 2008, watched the previous four Masters on television.

“I have friends there but I don’t go. Too painful. Watching it is enough,” he said. “It’s a great show. I still love golf and I like to see how everybody does. The course is always a great story. I love watching it. But it’s bittersweet too because there’s pain involved when you’ve played in 17 Masters and you’re suddenly not there for four of them.”

Cink was born in Huntsville, Ala., but played golf at Georgia Tech and lives in Duluth, Ga.

He said the Masters “is pretty emotional because it is such a special event and I live in Georgia. I’ve been a part of the Masters for a long time, I just really look forward to going. Maybe I have a different kind of perspective playing there, or not, I don’t know. It will be really special and I’m looking forward to the experience.”

Cink, the 2009 British Open champion and a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, visited Augusta National in early November. Not to re-familiarize himself with the course, but for his caddie Taylor Ford to have a look at it.

“I didn’t want him to show up Monday of the Masters having never been there and putting on a bib,” Cink said. “It’s the kind of place that can overwhelm you quite a bit. In a way, I’m kind of showing him the way around the course. Usually the caddie is helping the player, but in my case I’m helping my caddie get used to being there.”

The last time Cink was at the Masters, in 2014, he finished 14th, one shot out of a six-way tie for eighth place, which would have earned him a trip backby being in the top 12. Instead, he has waited five years.

“I feel like I’m a little bit better suited to the course than I was before,” Cink said. “I’ve really worked had on my short game. My game didn’t really fit there.”

He’s not making any predictions about how he’ll do because that’s not his style.

“I’m not really a goal setter,” Cink said. “I don’t really set goals because I think goals and expectations are kind of like stepbrothers. I don’t set goals traditionally like you would think. My goal would be I want to be prepared to play and compete and have fun and stay in the present and be grateful to be there every day and go out there with a great attitude and see what happens.”