The PGA Tour is tougher than anyone could imagine, and pulling out top 10 results every time is not easy. You can ask Jordan Spieth or Rickie Fowler all about it. The latter has had just one top 10 in the entire season, while Spieth had only three and then took a hiatus to undergo wrist surgery. Many times, how a pro performs on the course affects how they think about and value themselves.

Talking about this gnawing issue, at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship’s press conference, the veteran pro Stewart Cink was asked what he meant by having his heart in the right place and becoming a threat to the pros in the field. The 8-time PGA Tour winner explained that for a golfer, the sport has a way of seeping into their hearts and brains and negatively involving their egos on poor results. After all, not winning or performing well takes a toll on your mental health.

He further added, “We place a lot of self-worth on where that golf ball goes and where it finishes and that’s not a healthy way to live life.” To move away from such negative thoughts, which may, in turn, harm his form more, Cink expressed that over the last three decades, he has learned to let go of those self-doubts. And he understood that if he could get his heart to realize that “it’s just a game,” swing freely and fully accept the good, bad, or worst results, “then I just am a lot better golfer and I’m a better person,” said the 2009 Open champion.

Spieth is also a part of the PAC which is a full;-time job in itself as it takes up a lot of time. There are a ton of meetings discussing various things, and as a member, Spieth has to be there. 2024 was the second consecutive season where we saw this pro struggling. Even his friend Smylie Kaufman couldn’t help but address Spieth’s poor form.

On an episode of GOLF Subpar from July, Kaufman said, “It’s funny, right? Because if you go and look at the stats, you get confused because if you would have supplanted his driving ability this year, in any other year, he’s winning.” That’s precisely what Spieth said, too. Talking to reporters before the opening round at the 2024 Wyndham Championship, Spieth said, “It’s been a frustrating year because it’s been maybe my best driving year ever… The clubs that I make the most impact on the ground with, which normally are my bread and butter, have been pretty off. It’s not hurting, but subconsciously, it’s hard not to look at the numbers and think this isn’t a coincidence.” 

Cink’s words certainly can prove to be the best advice for the golfers struggling on the PGA Tour, as they are under immense pressure to prove their worth and keep their cards. Cink, on the other hand, has overlooked the doubts and moved forward, which comes after being a golfer for such a long time. In just a year, he has achieved much success because of his mentality.

How did Stewart Cink’s positive mindset help him to succeed?

It has been just over a year and 14 starts for Stewart Cink on the PGA Tour Champions, but the 51-year-old has already become a phenom in the veteran league. Since he started teeing up on the senior Tour, the 1-time major winner finished outside of the top 15 only once in the last year and six months.

Cink spent most of his season on the regular PGA Tour. There, he couldn’t make an impact as the young competition grew, but on the PGA Tour Champions, the 51-year-old played 10 events and was top in nine. Moreover, he also won The Ally Challenge and proved that despite his failures on the PGA Tour or the events before that, he didn’t let the disappointing results affect his mentality and lose his confidence.

Certainly, swinging freely and accepting his results has helped him at the PGA Tour Champion’s season finale too, as Cink took the lead after 36 holes and may go on to win his first-ever Charles Schwab Cup. Taking the game of golf just as a simple game and not letting it take over his life has surely helped Cink since he turned pro in 1995 and amassed 17 victories across the globe.