Home

Percy stumbles as Cink wins PGA Open

AAP
Cameron Percy's final-round 74 robbed him of any chance of capturing his maiden PGA Tour title.
Camera IconCameron Percy's final-round 74 robbed him of any chance of capturing his maiden PGA Tour title.

Stewart Cink won the season-opening Safeway Open, after a disastrous final round from joint overnight leader Cameron Percy ruined any chance the Australian had of victory.

After shooting rounds of 64 68 68, the 46-year-old Victorian was in line to land his maiden PGA win on Sunday but a two-over 74 saw him tumble down the leaderboard.

Percy finished in a tie for 23rd, seven shots behind Cink whose seven-under 65 was enough to secure a two-shot victory over Harry Higgs for his seventh PGA Tour win.

Two behind Percy was compatriot Cameron Davis, whose five-under final round elevated him to tied 36th.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

The 47-year-old Cink rebounded from a bogey on the 17th with a birdie on the 18th to become the oldest PGA Tour winner since Phil Mickelson at 48 at Pebble Beach in February 2019.

His last victory came at the expense of then-59-year-old Tom Watson at Turnberry, with Cink winning a four-hole playoff in the 2009 British Open.

The Game AFL 2024

Cink did it the old fashioned way Sunday, with a short game that repeatedly put him in great shape on the greens. He one-putted 10 times, scrambled for pars after driving into the sand twice and had eight birdies to finish at 21-under 267.

Higgs shot a 68.

Doc Redman closed with a 62 - matching the lowest round of the tournament - to tie with Brian Stuard (70), Chez Reavie (66) and Kevin Streelman (67) at 18-under.

Stuard, Percy and James Hahn entered the day tied for the lead.

Percy was done when he went double bogey, double bogey, bogey over a three-hole stretch on the front nine.

Hahn (72) bogeyed three of the first six holes and couldn't recover. Stuard was one- over through eight and chased the leaders the rest of the afternoon.

Cink's bogey on the par-four, 362-yard 17th was only his second of the week and trimmed his lead to one stroke after Higgs eagled the par-five 16th to get to 19-under.

After hitting his second shot on the par-5 18th into the rough behind the green, Cink chipped to three feet to set up birdie, then waited for the final three groups to finish.

Higgs missed a 10-foot birdie putt on 17, then parred 18, a hole where he made an albatross on Friday.

Redman, who began the day eight strokes behind the leaders, closed with six consecutive birdies to take a two-stroke lead. The 22-year-old stayed on top for about two hours until Cink's final push.

"The last few holes are pretty easy and I just got hot," Redman said. "It happens, so it was awesome."

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails