Sleeper Picks: Wyndham Championship

The first pork shoulder Stewart Cink ever smoked was, well, to put it bluntly, close to inedible. Cink and his wife Lisa annually host several dozen friends at their house on Lake Keowee in upstate South Carolina on July 4. But feeding that large a group is always a challenge – “You can only make spaghetti and chili so many times,â€� Cink says. So his buddy, Chad Parker, who is the general manager at East Lake Golf Club and one of the regular house guests, decided to give Cink a Big Green Egg, which is among the Cadillacs of outdoor cookers. Parker figured that would take care of one night’s meal. “We researched how to do it right, get the charcoal, get the smoke, get the flavoring and protect it and all that, and it was horrendous,â€� Cink recalls. “Like, it was terrible. We completely failed.â€� The failed experiment, though, turned into something of a challenge for Cink, and a decade later he’s cooking ribs, chicken, pork and brisket competitively. “I have this nature of excess,â€� Cink explains. “I didn’t just learn how to have fun playing golf, I became a PGA TOUR player. Skiing, climbing, all of our hobbies, anything I’ve ever picked up, I just can’t stop it.  “I can’t stop at okay or decent or good. I have to take it to a new high. So we went from let’s try to feed 45 people with a pork shoulder that wasn’t very good, so now we’re entering contests and we have a pro team and all that stuff.â€� Cink learned a lot about making barbecue through trial and error, as well as on the internet. He learned the terminology and how to refine his searches to find different flavor profiles and timelines for cooking the meat. And everything – soup to nuts, so to speak — has to be done in a smoker. Cink has three, in fact – the Big Green Egg at his lake house, a Primo in Atlanta and one of those big, black barrel-shaped smokers for competitions. It’s about 13 feet long and he pulls it behind a truck. “A lot of people like to start by boiling ribs or finishing them off in the oven,â€� Cink says. “You can do that.  But to me, barbecue is meant to be cooked over a smoking case of charcoal, and that’s the way it has to be done to me, so that’s the way I do it.â€� Cink is well-aware of the different regional methods of cooking barbecue. North Carolina, for example, is a state divided with a pungent vinegar-based sauce in the east while the Lexington-style favored in the Piedmont and to the west uses ketchup in its sauce. Memphis, Texas and Kansas City also have their distinct flavors. “We use some western style North Carolina stuff,â€� Cink says. “We’re more like Memphis style, I think.  I like a dry rub and I like a sweet sauce but not too much.â€� In 2011, Cink and his wife decided to host a barbecue cook off to benefit their charitable foundation. He describes it as like a county fair without the rides – complete with a stage for the bands and more than 70 different vendors. “We had to set up all the operations for it –- water, power — and it was in the middle of a field,â€� Cink recalls. “… So we learned a lot. “We also learned that it was a lot of work for minimal charity because the second year we also decided to start a golf tournament for our foundation, and it made like seven times the money for about 10 percent of the work.â€� They staged the event again a year later and this time the competition was sanctioned by the PGA TOUR of smoking, the Kansas City Barbecue Society. Cink and his cooking partners, Parker and his swing coach Mike Lipnick, ended up winning. Suffice it to say, they caught the bug. So now, several times a year, the three pack up their tent, hitch the smoker to a truck and head to a competition. They sit under the stars and stoke the fire all night. The KCBS sanctions more than 500 cook offs s a year. One of the people Cink and his friends competed against once told them he was participating in his 37th event of the year.  “I mean, that’s full‑time,â€� Cink says. “If you do it like that you get a rhythm and you learn your timeline and you have very little change, and you really start to perfect it.  We can’t do that.  We’re close, but we can’t do that.  “We still have to build in some wiggle room in case we mess up, so that extra 30 or 40 minutes from the time when your meat is perfect until it gets turned in, it’s only getting worse.  So we’re not quite that consistent. “ But some weeks they are very good – once besting 40 teams to win first place for ribs at the Atlanta barbecue festival. In fact, the three have placed in every competitive category except for pork. Cink isn’t the only TOUR player who competes, either. Davis Love III is also serious about the pursuit and other players are eager to learn the fine art of barbecue after receiving Big Green Eggs as gifts from the Sanderson Farms Championship. The TOUR newbies often come to Cink for advice. He recently gave Kyle Stanley the step-by-step instructions he prepared for the men in the barbecue class he and Parker taught to raise money for charity at East Lake. Cink also hosts a barbecue dinner at his Atlanta home to raise money for his foundation. The going rate is in the neighborhood of $25,000. “We have a good time,â€� Cink says. “We’ve gotten some really good relationships out of it, and it’s fun for us to be able to open up our home. “I like to share my passion of golf ‑‑ I like to cook and I like to see people enjoy what I made and teach them a little something along the way.â€� Cink gets a busman’s holiday of sorts this week when he plays at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis, too. Don’t be surprised if Cink and Love go on a barbecue tour. They’ll get friends like former TOUR pro Mike Hulbert and hit, maybe, four restaurants in one night, ordering a sampler platter at each place. And at least once Cink will make a pilgrimage to the Cozy Corner, a bare-bones joint that has been featured in Bon Appetit, Gourmet and Food and Wine magazines, among others. “You talk about ribs, if you like ribs, dry ribs, Cozy Corner, you can’t beat it,â€� he says. Right down Cink’s alley.

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Let’s try this again. One year ago the first round of the 2020 PLAYERS Championship was almost completed before the tournament and the PGA TOUR was completely shut down. COVID-19 arrived and was sweeping the country and the decision was made to be safe rather than sorry. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks | The First Look One year later, the TOUR returns to its flagship event on its most famous course to offer a prize pool of $15 million for the deepest field in golf. Of the top 50 players in the OWGR 48 are on the property this week with only Matthew Wolff (wrist) and Brooks Koepka (knee) unable to participate. From the field of 154, 112 are previous winners on TOUR. This year’s champion will take home $2.7 million and 600 FedExCup points plus a five year exemption on TOUR. THE PLAYERS Stadium Course designed by Pete Dye will serve as host as it has since 1982. The second full edition since the return to March will feature Rory McIlroy as the defending champion as last year’s tournament was cancelled after one round. The over-seeded conditions will apply on the 5,500 square foot greens, 2.5 inches of rough and 26 acres of Celebration Bermuda fairways. Water comes into play on 17 of the 18 holes and 88 bunkers will also gobble up loose shots. Pete Dye plays games with your eyes, head and feet. No lies are flat. Tee boxes are set at off angles. No two holes run in the consecutive direction. No bulkheads or mounds are nearly as close or far as they appear. Your brain, caddy and nervous system are always running at 10 trying to figure out where to attack. Dye’s tracks reward the boldest lines and punish those who don’t place it perfectly. Great shots are rewarded. Good shots can be salvaged. Safe shots will take some navigating to save par. We learned that March is different from May. There’s no chance of the course to be firm and fast this early in the season. The weather and the overseed don’t allow it so fairways get wider (no roll), greens are more receptive and the rough is easier to play from because of the extra grass. I think we should still look back to the last two editions from May because the routing of the course hasn’t changed and we can learn from those two events as well. Last year before the delay, this is what the scoreboard looked like for a point of reference: Hideki Matsuyama 63 – tied course record Si Woo Kim 65 – 2017 champion Christiaan Bezuidenhout 65 – debut round Harris English 65 – only his second round in the 60s from 21 Needless to say this should be a wide open event. The 31 first-time players from 2020 and 2021 combined won’t be at as much of a disadvantage because of the new March start. Eddie Pepperell (not entered) was T3 on his debut in 2019. TPC Sawgrass has catered to all styles over the years. Great ball-strikers, super short games and even recent bombers like McIlroy all have found their way around. Fred Funk hit 45 fairways to win at 48 years old. Si Woo Kim only needed eight rounds to figure it out to win at 21. Kim is the only player in the last 10 events to win with less than 5 previous visits. Experience pays on Pete Dye tracks and on TPC Sawgrass. Recent Event Winners Stats 2020: Event Cancelled After First Day (COVID-19) 2019: Rory McIlroy (-16, 272) Defeated Jim Furyk (not entered) by one shot to win in his 10th appearance. … Played in the penultimate group as he began Round 4 just one back. … Co-leader after 36 holes on 12-under. … Gained just over 13 shots Tee to Green. … Picked up his third victory on a Pete Dye track (Kiawah Island, Crooked Stick). … 15th TOUR victory. … 15th International winner. … Joins Tiger Woods and Henrik Stenson as major, WGC and FedExCup champions who have won THE PLAYERS. … Worst finish in five events leading into the week was T6. Notables: Jhonattan Vegas (T3) posted a bogey-free 66 for his best payday. … Tommy Fleetwood (T5) played in the final group for the first time on TOUR and posted 73. … Dustin Johnson (T5) became just the second player to post all four rounds in the 60s as he enjoyed his best finish in 11 tries. … Brandt Snedeker (T5) co-led the field with 23 birdies. … 2016 champion Jason Day (T8) hits the top 10 for the third time in four seasons. … Brian Harman (T8) only squared seven bogeys for the week. … Hideki Matsuyama (T8) closed 66-67 before opening with 63 in 2020. … Justin Rose (T8) played the final 54 holes in 14-under after opening with 74. … Abraham Ancer (T12) made 23 birdies on his debut to share the lead on the week. … Holding the 54 hole lead for the first time after firing 64, Jon Rahm (T12) closed with 76. … Adam Scott (T12) has 23 rounds in the 60s here. … 2008 winner Sergio Garcia has 24 rounds in the 60s, best all time. … Keegan Bradley (T16) shared the first round lead with Fleetwood with 65. … Webb Simpson (T16) keeps the streak alive of previous champions unable to defend. … Cut was 1-under 143. … Only 11 of the 24 who had played previously in March made the cut. 2018: Webb Simpson (-18, 270) Led by seven after 54 holes and won comfortably by four in the last May event. … Joins the major-PLAYERS-FedExCup Playoff event fraternity as the sixth to do so. … First top 10 in his ninth start at TPC Sawgrass. … Co wire-to-wire winner as he shared the 18 hole lead with five others. … Tied the course record of 63 in Round 2 to set the 36-hole mark on 15-under. … Led by five after 36, also a record. … Led by seven after 54, another record. … Tied Greg Norman on 19-under after 54 holes. … Became only second winner to shoot an over par score (73) and win. … Just third winner to lead in Driving Accuracy. … Loves Bermuda as his best finishes that season were T4 Sony, T5 The Honda Classic, T8 Valspar and T5 RBC Heritage; T21 week before at Wells Fargo. Notables: Charl Schwartzel (T2) picked up his only top 25 to date. … Debutant Xander Schauffele (T2) posted three rounds of 68 or better. … Jimmy Walker (P2) collected his best finish in his ninth start. … Jason Day (T5) bounced back from T60 in his title defense in 2017. … Jason Dufner (T5) grabbed his second top 10 in nine starts. … Keegan Bradley (T7) began his run of form here closing with 66. … Tommy Fleetwood (T7) closed 68-68 to suggest he was figuring it out. … Danny Lee (T7) opened 68-66 before playing the weekend 2-under. … Harold Varner III (T7) made 25 birdies and an eagle. … Brooks Koepka (T11) tied the course record on Sunday with 63 but will miss this year with a knee injury. … 2017 champ Si Woo Kim (T63) extended the streak of defending champions not to hit the top 10 (Adam Scott, 2007; T8). … Most eagles in event history and on TOUR for the season. … Warm temperatures and light wind. … Top 22 players 10-under or lower. … Cut 1-under 143. … Event followed the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. 2017: Si Woo Kim (-10, 278) Won by three shots to become the youngest champion in history at 21 years 10 months. … Began the final round two shots back. … Bogey-free 69 was the only bogey-free round on Sunday. … Highest winning total since 2008 (Garcia). … Won in only his second start. … Did not lead after any of the first three rounds. … Had seven MC and four WD on the season entering the week. … Becomes only second Korean winner (KJ Choi, 2011). Notables: Louis Oosthuizen (T2) co-led after 36 holes and was one back after 54. … Ian Poulter (T2) posted all four rounds at par or better. … Co-leader after 36 and 54 holes, Kyle Stanley (T4) hung on for his best finish at TPC Sawgrass. … Lucas Glover (T6) shot 32 going out on Sunday but made four bogeys on the back. … Francesco Molinari (T6) was one of five players to post both weekend numbers in the red. … Adam Scott (T6) posted all four rounds par or better. … Brendan Steele (T6) fired 68 on Sunday, tying the low round of the day with Dustin Johnson (T12). … Alex Noren (10th) was the best debutant in the field. … Jason Day (T60) couldn’t defend, but nobody does. … Emiliano Grillo (11th) matched Sergio Garcia (T30) for the round of the day on Saturday with 67. … Pat Perez (T22) shared the low round of the week, 66, with Oosthuizen and Stanley. … Cut was 2-over 146. … Wind picked up on the weekend as the 36-hole lead was 9-under. … Only two bogey-free rounds on the weekend. … Only 12 rounds in the 60s. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2019-2020 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. * – Top 10 finish here since 2015 or past champion Horses for Courses

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SOUTHPORT, England — Two great bunker shots by Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka — one for par, one for eagle — led to a 5-under 65 for each of them in the opening round of The Open. Koepka, with no competition and very little golf since winning the U.S. Open last month, was in a pot bunker short of the green on the par-5 17th when he blasted out and watched it roll into the cup for an eagle that allowed him to share the lead with Spieth among the early starters Thursday at Royal Birkdale. Spieth had a bogey-free round, and it required great bunker shots even by his standards to keep it that way. His shot out of the rough barely rolled into a pot bunker to the right of the 16th green, leaving the ball on a slight slope near the back edge. “This is dangerous,” he said to his caddie. He aimed to the right of the hole to avoid it going off the green on the other side and into another bunker, and it came off perfectly about 10 feet away. “That was awesome,” were his next words to his caddie. He made the par putt — Spieth made a lot of putts on Thursday — picked up a two-putt birdie on the 17th and narrowly missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the last. It was Spieth’s best start in a major since he opened with a 66 at the Masters a year ago. “I couldn’t have done much better today,” he said. Royal Birkdale was much more kind than it was nine years ago in raging wind and rain. The 146th Open began in cool temperatures, a light rain and a strong wind. Mark O’Meara, a winner at Royal Birkdale in 1998 who is playing in his last British Open, hit the opening tee shot. And then he hit another one. O’Meara’s first shot was lost in the gorse, he made a quadruple-bogey 8 and was on his way to an 81. But it wasn’t long before the wind off the Irish Sea pushed along the rain clouds and led to sunshine in the afternoon. The wind remained strong. The scores were largely good. Koepka and Spieth led the way, with Ian Poulter, Justin Thomas and Richard Bland in at 67. It was a businesslike day in more ways than one for Thomas, who wore a tie loosely draped around his neck and a cardigan sweater. He wasn’t all about making a fashion statement. Thomas, who shot a 63 in the third round of the U.S. Open, made eagle on the 17th hole to hang around the early leaders. Hideki Matsuyama was among those at 68. Koepka didn’t seem to miss a beat from his four-shot victory at Erin Hills, even if he barely touched a club. He stuck to a planned trip to Las Vegas after winning his first major, and he spent two weeks out West. When he finally got back to Florida, he played golf only one time, with manager Blake Smith at Hambric Sports, and lost to him (though he gave him 13 shots). Koepka considers himself the consummate gamer, though. He was itching to get back to competition, and after arriving last weekend at Royal Birkdale to learn the course, he proved to be a quick study. “It feels back in the routine now,” Koepka said. Whether he and Spieth had the lead depended on the late starts, particularly Matt Kuchar, who made the turn at 5-under 29. Kuchar was the U.S. Amateur champion when he played Royal Birkdale in 1998, still not even sure he was going to turn pro. Now he’s on the short list of best players to have never won a major. And the way the majors have gone the last few years, maybe this is his time. Koepka was the seventh straight first-time winner of a major.

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