Another Major Sink for Stewart Cink?
With all of the best professional golfers gathering in Scotland for The British Open, better known as just "The Open," this week, many golfers from every teams are being singled out for different reasons.
American golfer Tiger Woods, with so much scandal attached to his name, is being revered and ridiculed equally. Meanwhile, fellow American Tom Watson is being cheered on to finish what he started after almost taking home the 2009 Open Championship.
Newcomer Irish native Rory McIlroy is recognized with acclaimed celebrity status, and fellow Irishman Graeme McDowell is congratulated every two minutes for his win at the US Open on Pebble Beach.
Among those being recognized, whether for good or for bad, singularly praised and encouraged is American golfer Stewart Cink, who is on his way to return the coveted Claret Jug to its rightful owners, the Royal and Ancient Society for the next winner of the 2010 champion to earn.
Cink does not even feel like he deserves to hold the elite attention attached to the desirable Jug, as he reported last week after shying away from crowds: "Do I feel worthy?...Do I feel like my name matches up to everyone on that list? No way. I'm not going to be Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods. Bobby Jones? Those guys are the best who ever played.”
Does he deserve his name on the jug itself? He believes so, saying, “Am I worthy to be on the Claret Jug? Yes, because I played as well as I played for 72 holes last year at Turnberry and when it counted I was able to polish it off." Turnberry is a very different course than St. Andrews, however, and a win at St. Andrews is a dream to any golfer in itself.
The Competitors
After holding the St. Andrews title for the last two years, is it possible that Woods can take the opportunity away from other professional hopefuls once more?
Other Team US hopeful, Phil Mickelson, is also a legitimate possibility as a world number two player who has yet to win an Open Championship. Mickelson’s drive to win is evident when he quotes fellow American golfer Jack Nicklaus: “Nicklaus said it: a career just doesn't feel complete unless you've won here at St. Andrews. I think all the players feel the same way."
For newcomers, we all love Englishman Justin Rose, who just won in North America, and Irishman McIlroy. Largely supporting Team Europe stand the Irish, such as Darren Clarke and McDowell, who have been surprising and awing fans all season long.
Single Canadian on the greens, Mike Weir, comes with a Major win under his belt but a few years worse for wear. However, it just takes St. Andrews to rejuvenate old golfers into doing new tricks. Weir commented on his new-found youth: "Coming to this place gets your motor running…I don't care who you are. This place is special."
Cink is for the Fans
Among all of these favourites sits Cink, an obvious favourite to win simply because he has earned it. And we like him. He has not won a lot of big tournaments or has taken home a lot of cups, trophies or jugs, but that’s exactly what we like about him. He is not some household name like Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus being sold to us as a standard of perfection in the game of golf. Not a chance as it is a game where you lose more than you win. It is a frustrating sport that can easily be affected by external factors such as weather conditions and the state of the greens. It is far from perfect, just like its competitors.
Cink was our everyman in the 2009 Open Championship. He has earned a right to stand among the elite golfers, but despite his one big win, he is still an underdog, or an everyman. Why? Because Cink knows just as well as the fans do how difficult it would be for someone with Cink’s stats and history of losses to pull out two straight wins at Open Championships: "In golf, you play a lot of tournaments for a few wins, unless your name is Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus," he told The Toronto Sun. "I've worked hard for a long time and I probably have won fewer than I thought I would.”
If Cink can’t sink it this year, hopefully another everyman can get his name etched into the coveted Jug. The Open goes into its second day today after calling it an early day yesterday due to intolerable weather conditions.
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