Stewart Cink, a True Champion

Stewart Cink shot an opening round of 66 at the Open Championship at Turnberry.

He was asked two questions in a short media interview after the round. Both questions were about Tom Watson going around Turnberry in 65 strokes.

Following the 66 and as the winds came to the links course off the First of Clyde in the glance of the Ailsa Craig, Cink posted a 72 on Friday and a 71 on Saturday.

He was lost; he was forgotten at least from a media perspective.

He was ready to emerge onto the world stage of golf and win its biggest championship.

"Apart from Tom Watson there's a lack of experience up on the leader board in front of me in majors," he said. "I've got experience in majors, I just haven't won any. I think tomorrow I'm just going to come out here and try to attack the course a little bit, do the same thing I've been doing and just keep my composure. That's really all you can do. The golf course is so difficult; you can't really alter your strategy based on where you are."

Finishing three groups ahead of Tom Watson, Cink drained a 15-footer at the 18th for a 69 and to tie Watson at two-under. This was after bogeying No. 14, deucing No. 15, bogeying No. 16 and failing to birdie the par-five 17th hole. Talk about a dramatic up-and-down get it to the clubhouse finish.

How did he make the decisive putt at end of regulation?

"I hit that putt with really—really without a care in the world of whether it went in or whether it missed. A blank mind like that is the best way to approach a pressure-packed situation, and I was proud of myself the way I handled that."

Then the world watched as 59-year old Tom Watson birdied No. 17 for a one stroke lead. With an eight-iron in his hand from a perfect position in the fairway the five-time Open Champion did the unthinkable and made bogey to fall into a playoff with Cink.

In the playoff he would play like the "old geezer" he joked about being and lose by six strokes in four holes.

Cink was brutally honest in his assessment of what happened.

"The golf course is so hard that someone eventually is going to probably lose the tournament with mistakes," Cink said. "And I think that's ended up what happened."

The family man playing in front of his wife and two sons was also brutally honest with himself and the role he played in this the 138th Open Championship.

"I have to be honest, playing against Tom, you know, in the playoff; it's mixed feelings because I've watched him with such admiration all week. And of course it would come down to me against him in the playoff."

"Whether Tom was 59 or 29, you know, he was one of the field, and I had to play against everybody on the field and the course to come out on top."

He then drew on his experience competing in other big moments with the likes of crowd favorites Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

"I'm usually the guy that the crowd—they appreciate but they're not behind me 100 percent of the way. You know, they aren't. So, you know, that's the sort of role I've been cast into for my whole career. And, hey, that's not the worst. It's okay."

Golfing fans as did those at Turnberry as Cink played the 18th for the last time without a doubt of his victory will appreciate Cink more now that he has won his first Major Championship.

"Having outlasted this field on this golf course with the way the weather tried to beat us down the last three days; it's something that I'll never forget. It's great to be the one left."

"I just felt so calm," he added. "I never even felt nervous at all. I felt like I was just totally at peace about whatever happened because I was proud of how I played up to today. I was just calm the whole way. Somebody at a major championship always has that calm peace about them, and I had it today."

"I'm not sure I really thought much about whether I was good enough to win a major or not. I knew I'd been close a few times, but I never really heard my name tossed in there with the group of best ones not to have won. So maybe I was starting to believe that, that I wasn't one of the best ones to never have won a major."

Now that he has won a Major the question everyone will be asking is "how many more Majors will Stewart Cink win?"

Could he be another Padraig Harrington and win three of six?

Remember Tiger was in the field this week at Turnberry. Well at least for the first two days.

Stewart please don't change your swing!

Congratulations Stewart Cink, a true Champion.

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering for the tournaments and working part time for NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and The Golf Channel. He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]