Stewart Cink (-20) is the champion of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship and, with it, also the season title in the PGA Tour Champions. The American closed the season with a round of 67 strokes to finish at twenty under at Phoenix Country Club, two strokes ahead of Steven Alker (-18), leader after 54 holes and finally second both in the tournament and in the annual ranking.
Miguel Ángel Jiménez (-12) was unable to fight for the victory this Sunday, nor for the overall title. A shame considering he spent much of the year occupying the top spot in the ranking and dreamed of being the first Spaniard to win the prestigious Order of Merit of the PGA Tour Champions.
At 52 years old, Cink achieves his third victory of the year and the fourth in just 36 tournaments played on the senior circuit. In the PGA TOUR, he accumulated eight wins, including the 2009 Open Championship in that memorable playoff against Tom Watson.
Alker, who started with a one-stroke lead in the final round, signed for 70 strokes to finish at -18. His last attempt to equal the score came on the par 5 of the 18th, where he tried to attack the green with a fairway wood, but his ball ended up in the lake, swallowing any chance of a comeback. The bogey left the way clear for Cink, who had opted for a lay-up after sending his drive to the rough. From there, he placed his third shot on the green and closed the par that sealed the victory.
The head-to-head between the two had been brewing since Saturday when they shared a match in the third round. Cink went three strokes up on the 12th hole after a three-putt from Alker, but the New Zealander reacted by stringing together three birdies in four holes to reach the final stretch with just a one-stroke disadvantage. Both signed for par on the 17th before the final outcome on the last hole.
With this double, Cink becomes the fourth player to win the Championship and the Charles Schwab Cup in the same season. Previously, only Tom Watson (2005), Tom Lehman (2012), and Kevin Sutherland (2017) had achieved this.
Freddie Jacobson, Jerry Kelly, and Tommy Gainey finished tied for third place at -15.
The victory also has a special component for Cink due to his personal ties to the area. Right after winning, he emotionally recalled that as a child he played tournaments on nearby courses like Dobson Ranch or Encanto, and that part of his family still lives in the Phoenix area. On Sunday, he celebrated the victory with his family, present throughout the week.
Jiménez, for his part, besides a great season with three titles under his belt, has completed the podium of the Order of Merit. At 61 years old, rest assured that next season he will continue trying with all his might. The Pisha does not give up easily.
