Stewart Cink secured his first senior major victory at the Senior PGA Championship, finishing 19-under par for a six-shot win over Ben Crane at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. The 52-year-old posted rounds of 69-67-70-63, highlighted by a bogey-free final-round 63 featuring seven birdies and an eagle. Cink credited a last-minute green-reading adjustment for his dominant performance.
Stewart Cink dominated the Senior PGA Championship at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla., clinching his maiden senior major with a total of 19-under par. His scores across four rounds were 69, 67, 70, and a stunning 63, pulling six shots clear of runner-up Ben Crane in a full-field event. The heavy trophy symbolized the significance of the win, as Cink noted afterward: “To win a tournament like this, back to four rounds on a golf course like this, full field — this trophy is so heavy I can hardly pick it up — it feels great.” He added, “It’s just validating what I’m doing with my team.” “Today was just one of the best rounds I’ve played as a professional golfer,” Cink said of his final-round explosion, which included seven birdies and an eagle with no bogeys. That 63 stood as the low round of the day by three strokes and outperformed any other top-10 finisher by five. The turning point came after his third-round 70 on Saturday night. Practicing on the green, Cink identified a pattern of missing putts low and adjusted his reading approach. “I just kind of went back to a few basics and changed my philosophy on reading the greens just a hair,” he explained. “Added some break today, actually.” This tweak led to one of his best putting days in the past year on the course's challenging surfaces.
